Blood Week
Lisbet Axell
About the Piece
Blood Week is a striking acrylic painting designed to destigmatize menstruation with unapologetic boldness. The canvas pulsates with a dynamic array of crimson and fluorescent hues, symbolizing the strength, resilience, and varying stages of the menstrual cycle.
In this composition, abstract forms evoke the rhythmic dance of menstrual flow, which are often in challenge with societal norms - despite menstruation being the norm across more than 50% of the global population. The brushstrokes are deliberate and confident, mirroring the self-assuredness needed to confront and overcome the stigmas associated with menstruation.
About Lisbet Axell
Born into a Norwegian family that has farmed the same plot of land for over a hundred years, Lisbet grew up surrounded by animals and green things, which cultivated a lifelong appreciation for creations great and small — and the earth that they inhabit. Following high school, she set out to see the oceans, forests, and cities of the wider world.
A peripatetic decade ensued, wherein Lisbet spent years alternating between Germany, Australia, Japan, Spain, Costa Rica, and the East (Washington, DC, North Carolina) and the West (California and Oregon) coasts. Lisbet’s art is inspired by her travels, her experiences with herself and others in this sometimes cruel, sometimes beautiful world we all live in.
Lisbet lives in Alexandria, Virginia.