23 Dec 7th–Dec 13th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | have to figure out how to access abortion care. I knew that I would have to make those decisions of whether or not I wanted to ask my family for help or feel comfort- able. I knew that if I wanted to pursue that, it would be a two- to three-hour drive and multiple days away from home.” Mollindo began to realize that many other women shared similar experiences and that no one was talking about it, so she decided to change that. Putting a new spin on a traditional photo shoot, “Sex and Sovereignty” tells the sexual and reproduc- tive health stories of 36 people who can become pregnant, healthcare providers and advocates. “I had a tripod, and I had this large film camera. We would take two to six photos over the course of a couple of hours, and that was a really good way to slow things down and build the relationships with the people that I was working with,” she says. “We had a 30-minute conversation, whether it was over the phone or over the dinner table, talking about their experience.” Along with her portfolio of photographs, Mollindo made videos for her participants, allowing them to share information at their comfort level. She says the storytelling process became very organic, filled with a variety of reproductive health stories. “These videos are pretty straightforward. I would usually set up a video camera, and the participant would look straight into the camera or at me (I’d be pretty close by) and share their story. I didn’t want to leave too much of my own impression on their expe- rience, so I usually didn’t come up with questions unless they really felt like they needed help to figure out what they wanted to say next,” Mollindo says. “Sex and Sovereignty” is accompanied by Mollindo’s self-published book that includes portraits, transcripts of the conversations she had with her partici- pants and a link to access her video footage. In the introduction of her book, she mentions connecting personal experiences to social conditions and says it’s something she strives to embody in all of her work. “I think it all comes from a place of personal experience for me. I found that connecting with other people and building a network of personal experiences has allowed me to look back at the issues in a broader way and, more importantly, help my viewers look back in a broader way,” Mollindo says. “I think things have drasti- cally changed over the last six years in a good way as far as storytelling and the way we think about storytelling in social move- ments and important health issues.” Over the course of her project, Mollindo traveled to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Washington D.C. and her home state of Arizona. To comprehen- sively represent the stories of women who opened up about their experiences and build trust within communities she was unfamiliar with, she worked with local reproductive health and advocacy organi- zations with national connections. This included Planned Parenthood Arizona, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, Pro-Choice Arizona and The Abortion Fund of Arizona. “From one state to the next, access to abortion and reproductive health care looks very different — financially, logistically and legally. I really wanted to make sure that I could go to other states to learn about people’s experiences,” she says. “In 2017, I feel like I was just learning about all of this stuff from research and numbers and not seeing faces and, most importantly, not seeing faces that look like mine as a Latina woman of color and not hearing voices in the reproductive rights and justice move- ments that reflected the statistics.” Mollindo acknowledges the struggle of securing gallery support for projects char- acterized as controversial due to the stig- matization surrounding the topic of abortion. However, she found the support she needed to bring her project to fruition at Eye Lounge. “I want my exhibition and the stories that I’ve been privileged to share to change the hearts and minds of people who are creating these bad policies for people. I know the reality is that I can tell (an endless amount of stories), and it still may not change the mind of someone who has the power to actually make impactful change, but I’m hopeful. If I didn’t believe that it would change a few minds or open a few people’s eyes to what the systems that have been built are actually doing to our bodies, I wouldn’t have pursued this project,” Mollindo says. “Sex and Sovereignty” can be seen at Eye Lounge through Dec. 10. Gallery hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Eye Lounge is located at 922 N. Fifth St. Visit eyelounge.com for details. The cover of Mollindo’s self-published book, “Sex and Sovereignty.” (Photo by Amanda Mollindo)
