MULTIPLYING THE GODDESS
Ecofeminism as a practice of photography
Text by Iga Koncka
A dialogue with artist Elsa Leydier
French writer and feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne coined the term “ecofeminism” in 1974. She scholarly recognised old problems with a new angle by connecting the devaluation of women and the earth. d’Eaubonne states that overpopulation and exploitation of our resources are strongly connected with systemic male power. Perhaps her most quoted words capsule the essence of her critique “two parallel discoveries which gave men their power […] their ability to plant the seed in the earth as in women, and their participation in the act of reproduction” (Gates, 1996).
Elsa Leydier Untitled (work in progress) (Inkjet print on paper, pesticide drops) from Se As Deusas Quiserem, 2020
Elsa Leydier defines herself as an ecofeminist and her work is a clear validation of that. Born in 1988 in France, she lives and works between France and Brazil. As an artist she explores social issues through photography, focusing on the political aspect of imagery. In 2015, she went to a small village in Bolivia to work on a photographic project “Alirandu”. The people she met there are descendants of African slaves absent from contemporary Bolivian society. Leydier is aware of the post-colonial reality of the place and the people. She did not want to impose her outsider gaze upon them, so she rather photographed landscapes, worked with archives and let the people portray themselves. This non-hierarchal approach and the verity of voices is the key to reading her as a feminist practitioner. She is interested in a function of an image; she wants her viewer to escape the hegemonic points of view. Her work is open to many interpretations, not only to the imposed one.
Elsa Leydier Untitled (archive image, unknown author), from Alirandu, 2013
Her ongoing series “The Disobediencies” more than ever explores the issues of ecofeminism from a decolonial perspective. The series, just like a tree, is constructed with unique branches. The first one, called “Les Marques”, addresses the need to talk about the exploitation of both female and Earthly bodies. She celebrates the physical imperfections of women and stands against the colonisation of life. “Se As Deusas Quiserem” [If the Goddesses Want] is inspired by our relationship with the Earth and fertility. It is a fact that three of the main religions in the contemporary world praise a man – the god. Leydier goes into the dialogue with this narrative presenting the Ancient history, where a goddess was the source of food, opulence and family. She reminds the viewer about the woman-centric history of agriculture and abundance. The photographer is working with the iconography of the woman again, as in “Alirandu”, multiplying the meaning of the image. The project takes a closer look at the problem of poisoning our food produce, fertility is made through chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The land is separated from its organic state and the people are distanced from the fruit of their labour. The ecofeminist perspective of the artist goes further with the “Fair Play” series. The silhouettes of 44 protected animal species habiting Parc Georges-Valbon (the green lung of East Paris) were cut out from the 266 pages of the application form of Paris 2024.
(Left) Elsa Leydier Untitled from Fair Play (application file of Paris for the Olympic Games 2024, cutouts), 2021
(Right) Elsa Leydier Untitled from Les Marques (farmer seeds, magazine page), 2020
Leydier’s artistic pursuit goes beyond visually appealing images. Throughout her career she has developed a form of visual activism. Her projects vouch for equality, the right to be listened to and heard. In her practice, influenced by ecofeminism, she presents the fight for women’s rights and ecological awareness as one. Leydier’s work demonstrates how sustainable ecofeminism looks forward to the future.
ON THE ARCHIVE...
I explore the archive conceptually. I choose the images I work with because of how powerful they can be, when interpreted, they can reduce and limit perceptions on one particular place. My work usually begins with a story (often a paradox) that catches my attention. Then comes the archive. When I start thinking about how to translate the story I want to tell into the images, archives are often a good start.
ON THE LAST 10 YEARS...
At the beginning of my work, I started working with what can be described as traditional archives. Nowadays, I work with what I like to call "contemporary archives": images from everyday life, vernacular images, all the images that come from the visual culture that surrounds us. My work has clearly evolved through the years, however I can clearly see I am always searching for the same questions. I have the same obsessions with photography and arts: how images are failing to represent our reality and the multiplicities of life.
ON ARCHIVE FEVER...
My interest in archives isn't a fever, but rather a soft dependence. I need them as a reference, not as a basis. Actually, I am rather critical and sceptical about them.
ON DISCOVERIES IN THE ARCHIVE...
I recently heard about this story about the famous artwork “Fountain” by Marcel Duchamp. It turned out that the original idea for this piece was by Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, a friend of Duchamp! I am pretty sure archives have a lot to teach us, and that we may discover more stories of this kind. Not only about men stealing women's ideas and taking all the glory, but also about Europeans stealing other continent's arts, stories, etc. We can't forget that archives are a very Western-centred way of keeping information and preserving the past. Like many other areas in life, the idea of transmission and preserving the past should be understood from other points of view, through other ways of thinking of the transmission, like orality, for example.
Elsa Leydier Natal from Esgotados (stamp, postcard), 2014
About Elsa Leydier
REFERENCES
Gates, Barbara T. “A Root of Ecofeminism: Ecoféminisme.” Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, vol. 3, no. 1, 1996, pp. 7–16, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44085413. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022
