Rachel Cox
Rachel Cox is an artist who uses her own experiences with miscarriage and abortion to investigate personal and cultural stigmas associated with infertility. Cox’s work examines the potential of portraiture to mirror ourselves, our desires and fears, as well as reflect on the histories of how female bodies have been expected to perform in figurative works of art.
Self-portraits of IVF hormone injections alongside contemplative seascapes speak towards her ongoing struggle to define the “natural”, to embrace the cyclical, and to locate her own value that lives beyond reproductive potential
Cox uses her body as a site to reclaim a sense of self, and as a tool to reposition the conversation around women’s rights. The resulting dialogue provides space for everyone to learn more about women’s bodies; beginning to dismantle institutional and cultural gate keeping that still prevents us from effectively managing basic reproductive healthcare needs.
Rachel Cox currently lives in Iowa City, IA with her partner Matt and daughter Violet. Cox is an Assistant Professor of Photography at the University of Iowa.
