A Brand New End: Survival and Its Pictures
Carmen Winant
April 15 — July 16, 2022
A Brand New End: Survival and Its Pictures is a photography-based exhibition of new work by Carmen Winant as part of a five-component project developed by the artist through intensive research — a hallmark of her category-defying practice. A Brand New End explores historical and contemporary representations of oppression, liberation and self-expression through materials drawn from and inspired by the archives of Women In Transition (WIT) and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). This multipart project aims to illuminate the often invisible experiences of women, as well as feminist strategies for survival, revolt and self-determination. It highlights the power of print (photography and printmaking) to depict how women view themselves, and how photography can serve as a tool in the struggle for individual autonomy and self-representation. Through its expansive consideration of image making, domestic violence and the larger feminist movement deploying the archives of WIT and NCADV, A Brand New End critically examines the problems and possibilities of visualizing domestic violence and subsequent survival.
The exhibition has been organized by Ksenia Nouril, PhD, The Print Center’s Jensen Bryan Curator. A Brand New End: Survival and Its Pictures has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
Content warning: please be advised that this exhibition contains adult content, including depictions and descriptions of domestic violence.
Photos: Jaime Alvarez
This project – which is collaborative and genre-bending – is a decidedly feminist undertaking. My work always has been a continuation of and a channel for my feminist politics and my interest in second wave feminist history. My work is more of a reckoning than a report; it allows me to reach backwards and attempt to make sense of the space between lives and movements. I’m interested in how photographs serve us as we confront domestic violence (tellingly called ‘wife abuse’ or ‘battered women syndrome’ in previous decades). What and who is pictured in telling this story, and how? This project utilizes many different forms of pictures in service of making domestic violence survivors and their advocates visible, as well as contending with how we see (in the most literal way possible) and value them and their experiences in our culture at large. Domestic violence is an outgrowth and a symptom of the patriarchy that hurts all people inside of it.
– Carmen Winant
Exhibition Resources
Gallery Notes
Press Release
Public Intervention Map
In the News
Carmen Winant animates the archives of two support organisations for victims of domestic abuse British Journal of Photography
Women’s (Liberation) Work Broad Street Review
The Ten Best Art Books of 2022 The Brooklyn Rail
A CCA alum helps picture a new ending for survivors California College of the Arts
A Brand New End: Survival and Its Pictures College Art Association
5 of the Best Photography Books of 2022 Cultured Magazine
Carmen Winant: A Brand New End: Survival and Its Pictures LENSCRATCH
Pictures at Work The New York Review
A Carmen Winant Show Devoted to Survival and Empowerment The New York Times Style Magazine
Historic Philadelphia gallery hosts Ohio State art professor’s work Ohio State News
Where to See Art in Philly This Summer Philadelphia Magazine
How Prints and Photography Shaped the Women’s Movement Surface
The Print Center Releases Carmen Winant’s Book on the Crisis of Domestic Violence and the Urgency to Act Widewalls
Carmen Winant Mines a Visual Archive of Survival Whitewall
Programs
All programs that were recorded are available to watch here.
Gallery Talk
Thursday, April 14, 5:30pm With Carmen Winant and Ksenia Nouril At The Print Center Watch the recording
Opening Reception
Thursday, April 14, 6 – 7:30pm At The Print Center
Artist Talk with Carmen Winant
Thursday, April 21, 6pm On Zoom PLEASE NOTE: This event was originally scheduled for April 13 Watch the recording
Panel Discussion: Picturing Domestic Violence
Thursday, April 28, 6pm At The Print Center and on Zoom Ruth M. Glenn, President & CEO, NCADV; Roberta Hacker, former Executive Director of WIT (1986-2006); and Dr. Ethan Levine, scholar and advocate, discuss the visualization of domestic violence through photographs, specifically those used in service of empowerment and self-actualization. Watch the recording
Guided Exhibition Tours
Tuesday, April 26, 5pm Thursday, May 12, 12pm Wednesday, May 25, 5pm Friday, June 10, 12pm At The Print Center Guided tours of A Brand New End with exhibition curator Ksenia Nouril.
Conversation with Carmen Winant and Donna Ferrato
Thursday, May 19, 6pm On Zoom Ferrato is an internationally acclaimed photojournalist who works to document, expose and prevent domestic and sexual violence against women and children. Winant and Ferrato address how photography can bring critical awareness to pressing social issues. Watch the recording
WAVE Empowerment Self-Defense Class with WIT
Thursday, June 2, 6 – 7:30pm On Zoom Led by WIT staff, this class features discussion and activities around the five components of self- defense: Think, Yell, Run, Fight, and Tell. Participants will be taught a few easy-to-learn physical techniques.
Book Launch & Panel Discussion
Thursday, October 27, 6pm At The Print Center and on Zoom The newly published book, A Brand New End: Survival and Its Pictures was launched with an accompanying Panel Discussion. Carmen Winant was joined by the designer of the book Yoonjai Choi, partner, Common Name; Ksenia Nouril, former Jensen Bryan Curator, The Print Center; and Drew Sawyer, Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Curator, Brooklyn Museum. Watch the recording
Public Interventions
A public intervention in bus shelters around the City of Philadelphia, concurrent with the exhibition in our galleries, brings the space between Winant’s art and the information shared by organizations like WIT and NCADV even closer together. Modeled after public service announcements, the artist-designed posters feature Winant’s restaged photographs of t-shirts from WIT’s participation in the Clothesline Project. These posters are intended to raise awareness of issues around domestic violence, relay information to people about services and support, and according to Winant, “give voice to the archive from survivors.”
View a map of the bus shelter locations here.
Photos: Jaime Alvarez
Film
Artist Book
A Brand New End is documented in a short film by Philadelphia-based production company Itinerant Pictures. Recorded in Philadelphia, at WIT, The Print Center and at the artist’s studio in Columbus, OH, the short film captures Winant’s process and the execution of the project. Text contributions by: Laia Abril, Irene L. Brantley, Donna Ferrato, Ruth M. Glenn, Suzanne Lacy, Ksenia Nouril, Catherine Opie, Sangi Ravichandran, Elias Rodriques, Drew Sawyer, Paige L. Sweet and Carmen Winant.
Hardcover book with swiss binding and foil blocking, 8 1/2″ x 11″, 256 pages, 400 illustrations, edition of 1,000, designed by Common Name, published October 2022 by The Print Center.
About Women In Transition (WIT)
Founded in 1971, Philadelphia-based WIT’s mission is to empower people to move forward in their lives free of domestic violence and substance abuse.
About the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV)
Founded in 1978, Denver-based NCADV’s mission is to lead, mobilize and raise their voices to support efforts that demand a change of conditions that lead to domestic violence such as patriarchy, privilege, racism, sexism, and classism. They are dedicated to supporting survivors and holding offenders accountable and supporting advocates.
A Brand New End: Survival and Its Pictures has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
