When the theme of reproduction shows up in a gallery it’s almost never presented straightforwardly. It’s usually framed as something to either celebrate or debate, often stripped of nuance. That’s why Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam’s announcement of a new exhibition called Love Shit instantly grabbed our attention.

Love Shit, marks artist Verena Blok’s first solo exhibition. However, don’t expect a clear-cut story. Blok dives straight into the tangled nature of reproduction; pregnancy, abortion, parenting, intimacy, reproductive rights, and much more. She lays everything out together, not separating one from the other. It’s not some distant idea of “womanhood”. It feels unrefined, personal, and loaded with political meaning.

Blok incorporates her own stories into her photos, enabling all those tangling contradictions to coexist. Love and exhaustion manifest in unison. Autonomy clashes with what is anticipated. 

The body feels intimate and exposed at the same time. As Blok connects these personal moments to the bigger world around us, the exhibition makes it clear that reproductive hardships are never solely individual experiences. They’re part of everyone’s story. 

Love Shit opens March 6 and runs until May 25 at Foam Amsterdam.