Abstract
In my article, I introduce the category of a “silent” protest based on a discussion of a series of works by Portuguese artist Paula Rego, Abortion Pastels (1998), which sparked significant social discussion and contributed to the outcome of the 2007 referendum that decided to liberalise abortion law in Portugal. I point out the difference in the artistic strategy, which reaches back to the classical repertoire of representation, making the subject matter of the works relatively rarely dealt with in art, such as abortion or other issues related to women’s reproductive health. “Silent” protest means not only an unobtrusive or subdued gesture, but rather one that does not succumb to the formula of radically rapid information circulation enforced by social media. This in turn means that it takes place in different time frames and allows for longer durations.
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