Upstairs

7 April – 18 April

'ORALCON' - Emma Bennett

Oralcon is an evolving body of work that explores the complex terrain of hormonal contraceptives, focusing particularly on the pill.

The work engages with themes of repetition and rituals of a daily task, artificiality, time, numbers and the unseen transformations that occur within the body and mind through daily pharmaceutical intervention.

Starting conversations around the construction of identity, the regulation of time, and the quiet remapping of self. Central to the project is the question: Who might I have become had I never taken the pill?

Through a multidisciplinary approach, the work seeks to make visible what is typically internalized, exploring the tension between autonomy, control, and the intimate mechanics of the medicated body.

While the show's themes may initially appear niche, they ultimately prompt viewers to reflect on structures in their own lives. Even in the absence of a direct connection to contraceptives, the exploration of daily rituals and routines invites broader contemplation of identity and the ways in which such practices shape our sense of self.