The day Gilead came to Texas

Earlier this week, a near-total ban on abortions has come into effect in the state of Texas. This means that after six weeks of pregnancy, when many women don't even know they are expecting, it will be impossible to legally terminate a pregnancy. And no, there will be no exceptions in case of rape or incest. What's more, this new law allows citizens to sue abortions providers as well as anyone helping a woman to have an abortion. Say a friend is driving you to the clinic, yes they're also liable. To top it all off, the State of Texas has set up a website where people can anonymously blow the whistle on women they believe to be in violation of this law. Hang on, it gets better: if you win the lawsuit against the providers, you're in line to pocket $10,000. A genuine bonanza for bounty-hunters.

As a woman, I am thinking and feeling MANY things right now, none of them good, certainly none that I can calmly articulate. As it happens, I am effing livid, so I am once again turning to art to channel my thoughts. Barbara Kruger's work needs no introduction. Her iconic black and white imagery overlaid with text in Futura bold addresses politics, gender equality and is instantly recognisable. This piece was made in 1989, that's 32 years ago, for the Women’s March on Washington in response to anti-abortion laws that were undermining Roe v. Wade (the 1973 ruling that grants legal rights to abortions nationwide).

Thirty-two years later, the tragedy of this work is its continued relevance, the way it reminds us of the fragility of the female condition, whether in Afghanistan or in the United States. A woman's body was, still is and remains a battleground. There will always be someone who has the power to make choices for us, deciding what's best for us and for our bodies. And I bet you these are the same pro-lifers advocating 'medical freedom' and a ban on masks.

This law sets an incredibly dangerous precedent and poses a real threat to Roe v Wade. It also makes it very hard for women with lower income to access safe abortions. This legalised social warfare is about privilege, class and race. There is so much that goes into it. Lastly, the Supreme Court ignored an emergency petition and opted not to block this law, which of course it could have done. Do you see now why those rushed appointments at the tailend of the Trump presidency mattered so much?

#barbarakruger #blackandwhite #texas #abortionban #texasabortionlaw #abortion #texastaliban #roevwade #reproductiverights #womensrights #mybodymychoice #blog #beyondthecanvasblog

Barbara Kruger

Untitled (Your body is a battleground), 1989

The memory of open wounds

There are wounds so deep they never really heal. They are the wounds we share with other people, whether we know them or not, the wounds that remain open no matter how long it's been since they were inflicted. These wounds define us, they speak of who we are and where we come from. This is the story of one of these wounds.

On the morning of Saturday 2 August, at 10:25am, a time bomb hidden in an unattended suitcase detonated inside Bologna railway station. The explosion was so devastating it caused the collapse of a 50 meter long stretch of the building, which housed the restaurant and the waiting rooms. 85 people lost their life, over 200 were injured. Amid the rubble, firefighters, traffic police, police forces, as well as ordinary citizens, dug desperately even with their bare hands in search of the buried bodies. An apocalypse of dust, screams and blood. In a country that has had its fair share of bombings, this is the one that has claimed the highest number of casualties.

41 years and 3 trials later, the families of the victims are still waiting to know the whole truth. What we do know is that the massacre was organised by the P2 masonic lodge with the blessing of the Italian Secret Services and carried out by fascists terrorists. But after all this time what kind of justice can be delivered when those who were convicted already walk free and those suspected of having ordered the massacre are dead? Still, the jigsaw is not complete, there are more secrets to be unearthed. The journey to justice must continue.

Bologna and its people won't forget. We can't, and nor do we want to. This is our wound, this is how we honour the memory of the victims and show our support to their families who have never stopped fighting for justice.

#2agosto #stragedibologna #bolognanondimentica #massacre #terrorism #bologna #justice #truth #blog #blogger #beyondthecanvasblog

Le Lacrime della Giustizia (The Tears of Justice), Collettivo FX

Marcus Rashford, footballer, leader, change-maker and all-round beautiful human being.

It's not the first time that this blog talks about Marcus Rashford. The 23-year old mancunian footballer used his social media platform to twice force the Government into a U-turn over the extension of free school meals and support grants for children from low-income families. Just thinking about that needing to happen makes my skin crawl, but that's Tory Britain for you. Rashford used to rely on those meals, he has spoken very openly about having to sometimes go to sleep without any food in his belly.

Unless you have been living under a rock on another planet, you will know that England lost the Euro final to Italy on penalties, one of which was missed by Rashford. After Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka also failed to score, an avalanche of racist abuse on social media was unleashed against the 3 young Black players. Come Monday morning, Rashford's mural in his native Withington had been vandalised with offensive graffiti. Footballers - from hero to zero overnight. Black footballers - only ever one penalty kick away from the most ferocious racial abuse.

Enter the British PM and his Home Secretary, who had her arse brutally handed over by another black footballer, Tyrone Mings. Both refused to condemn the fans booing the players taking a knee before each game, dismissing it as gesture politics. Oh the hypocrisy of feigning outrage over the racial abuse you are directly responsible for. Go on, shake your fist at social media urging them to 'up their game' (and of course they must), but what about you, the elected leader of this divided country, what about showing some accountability for once. But it's not happening, not today, not ever. It all feels too predictable, inevitable even. We live in a country where footballers are expected to apologise for their mistakes on the pitch, and where the Government is banking on seemingly unlimited impunity, normalising corruption and pursuing a terrifying abandonment of their duty of care towards society.

Back to Withington, South Manchester, where in the meantime thousands of people have come together to cover Rashford's mural with messages of love and respect. The racial abuse is not in their name.

#marcusrashford #withington #mural #racism #toriesout #blog #blogger #beyondthecanvasblog

The Withington mural yesterday. Faith in people restored (for now).

This lady starts covering the hate and spreading the love.

The vandalised mural the morning after the England loss.