ABSTRACT
This chapter presents interdisciplinary research which combines art practice with sociocultural analysis to develop artworks as spaces of resistance to the social and cultural stigma still often associated with menstruating. Offering an in-depth case study of the author’s artistic practice in relation to critical discourses around menstruation, the chapter proposes that menstrual art can be a powerful means to re-frame academic, medical and everyday discussions by revealing varied experiences of menstruation. It also cautions against uncritically foregrounding the celebration of menstruation through art, which can perpetuate essentialist interpretations rather than working against stigmatising and exclusionary ideas and language. The first part of the chapter outlines contemporary notions of menstrual normativity and considers how this has influenced the visual cultures of menstruation. The latter part turns to a reflexive analysis of the author’s experiences as a non-binary person who menstruates and the development of their body-based art-making techniques which employ a combination of art historical, sociocultural, and autobiographical sources.
