Lucy Bink

Hysteria was once the only mental disorder exclusively attributed to women. According to feminist theory, it functioned as a tool to control women’s health, behavior, and expression. Though no longer a medical diagnosis, the label “hysteric” still lingers, often used to describe women who defy patriarchal norms.

‘Unruly Women’ is a serie of photographic portraits together with a video work inspired by photographs taken at the Salpêtrière Hospital between 1876 and 1880. These images show women diagnosed with hysteria posing, often under hypnosis, either before a camera or during medical lectures, under the direction of neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. I analyze this archive through the lens of photographic power dynamics, linking it to recurring themes of constructed gender and power. In contrast, I draw energy from female (post-)punk performers, who reclaim rage as a form of protest. Where hysteria once signified deviance, anger and performance now emerge as creative and political forces.

Using a large-format technical camera in the studio, I mirror Charcot’s methods to critique it. Collaborating with women from my community, we engaged with the archive and co-created portraits that challenged the notion of the “hysteric.”

‘Unruly Women’ is a visual study of agency across time and culture. It aims to invite reflection on what it means to be labeled hysteric. And to resist that label. If a hysteric is defined as an unruly woman, then I call for more hysteric women.