Untitled, 2015
from the series Self-defence
silver gelatin hand print
27 × 21 cm

In Self-defence, a 16 mm film series made between 2014 and 2015, some girls are photographed in their homes, staging positions derived from self-defense manuals. Here, the other stays out of the image as a projection of absence. When the attacker is not captured, the pose’s purpose becomes unclear, and the tensed body is turned toward what we cannot see. The body and the mind of the girl become the place of an inner conflict. Personal defense, out of the psychological drama. The line between attack and defense becomes opaque. Piotrowska explores self-protection, the power of bodies, anxiety, and intimate violence.