“My project ‘Doble Moral’ aims to give voice to Dominican women through their stories of clandestine abortions, accompanied by powerful and supportive photographic portraits.”

Karla Hiraldo Voleau

About the project

In the Dominican Republic, abortion is illegal under all circumstances, even when the life of the mother is at risk. Both women and healthcare providers can face prison sentences, ranging up to 2 years for women inducing abortions and up to 20 years for health professionals performing them.

Currently, amid discussions like ‘Roe v. Wade’ in the USA, the recent update to the Penal Code in the Dominican Republic reignites the debate: the ‘Tres Causales’ are still not included. These three fundamental conditions (incest/rape, life of the mother in danger, non-viable fetus) should still be justifiable reasons for abortion, but it remains an extremely polarized debate, overshadowed by misogynistic Christianity and a powerful patriarchy.

Through dozens of interviews with Dominican women all over the island, she recorded their testimonies and created self-portraits and portraits, sometimes anonymous, using mirrors or triggers. Hiraldo Voleau sought to make them feel and appear empowered while protecting their anonymity — if they needed it. She also sometimes inserted herself into the portraits, as a solidarity action.

The project was initiated in 2023 with the support of PlaySuisse, Pro Helvetia, the City of Lausanne, and the CNAP.

This ongoing project is a long-term commitment to giving a voice to these women and sparking reflection on a crucial and not enough-known issue.

About the project

In the Dominican Republic, abortion is illegal under all circumstances, even when the life of the mother is at risk. Both women and healthcare providers can face prison sentences, ranging up to 2 years for women inducing abortions and up to 20 years for health professionals performing them.

Currently, amid discussions like ‘Roe v. Wade’ in the USA, the recent update to the Penal Code in the Dominican Republic reignites the debate: the ‘Tres Causales’ are still not included. These three fundamental conditions (incest/rape, life of the mother in danger, non-viable fetus) should still be justifiable reasons for abortion, but it remains an extremely polarized debate, overshadowed by misogynistic Christianity and a powerful patriarchy.

Through dozens of interviews with Dominican women all over the island, she recorded their testimonies and created self-portraits and portraits, sometimes anonymous, using mirrors or triggers. Hiraldo Voleau sought to make them feel and appear empowered while protecting their anonymity — if they needed it. She also sometimes inserted herself into the portraits, as a solidarity action.

The project was initiated in 2023 with the support of PlaySuisse, Pro Helvetia, the City of Lausanne, and the CNAP.

This ongoing project is a long-term commitment to giving a voice to these women and sparking reflection on a crucial and not enough-known issue.

Available works

Katherine, 2023

print on Hahnemühle paper 188 gsm.

44,2 x 33CM

Hayleen, 2023

print on Hahnemühle paper 188 gsm.

44,2 x 33CM

Lia, 2023

print on Hahnemühle paper 188 gsm.

44,2 x 33CM

Installation views

About Karla Hiraldo Voleau

Born in 1992, Karla is a French-Dominican artist.

Through projects combining performance and photography, Karla Hiraldo Voleau often explores portraiture, or new masculinities, while also investigating contemporary notions of intimacy and love.
After graduating from ECAL -School of Art and Design, Lausanne – in 2018, she published her first photobook ‘Hola Mi Amol’ with Self Publish Be Happy in 2019, which was a laureate of the VFG prize for young Swiss photography (2018), and was an Aperture finalist at Paris Photo 2019. Later she was as a winner of the Olympus Recommended Fellowship (2020), a Foam Talent (2020), and exhibited at Art Basel where she was a finalist in the Swiss Design Awards (2022). Karla Hiraldo Voleau has also exhibited at the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg (2020), the International Center for Photography in New York (2023), the MEP in Paris (2022), or more recently at the Bündner Kunstmuseum of Chur (2024), with solos and group shows.
The artist recently published her second photobook ‘Another Love Story’, with Mörel Books, and is currently a resident at Palazzo Trevisan in Venice.

Download full cv here.

Copyright Jasmine Deporta

About Karla Hiraldo Voleau

Copyright Jasmine Deporta