Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage

  • Dates
    2011 - Ongoing
  • Author
  • Topics Documentary, Portrait, Social Issues
  • Locations Argentina, Costa Rica

Origen is a personal long-term project that aims to address the pervasive issue of sexual abuse and violence that has plagued my maternal lineage, including my own experiences.

In Latin America, women face staggering statistics of gender-based violence and femicide, painting a grim reality of the challenges we encounter in patriarchal societies. The recent media attention in Costa Rica on the 13-year-old girl whose 9-month-old baby was stolen by her step-father who is also the father of her baby highlights the urgent need to shed light on these deeply rooted issues.

"Origen" is a deeply personal and long-term project that seeks to confront the stories of abuse and violence endured by the women in my family. Through powerful imagery and the exploration of past memories, this project aims to reclaim our bodies, souls, and stories that have been silenced for far too long.

The discussions I have had with the women in my family have brought us closer, forging a deeper connection as we collectively grapple with the scars of our past. As I navigate my own journey of pregnancy and motherhood, I feel a profound urgency to break the cycle of this unwanted heritage that has afflicted generations before me.

This project is not just about telling our stories; it is an act of resistance and a declaration of our existence. By giving voice to the unspoken, we aim to challenge societal norms, dismantle oppressive structures, and foster healing and empowerment for ourselves and women who have shared similar experiences.

I firmly believe that by bringing these stories to light, we can initiate meaningful dialogue, raise awareness, and ultimately contribute to dismantling the systems that perpetuate gender-based violence. Our collective healing and empowerment will serve as a beacon of hope for other women who have faced similar struggles, inspiring them to reclaim their own narratives and break free from the chains of silence.

In conclusion, Origen is a story that needs to be told. It is an opportunity to confront the darkness of our past, reclaim our identities, and spark conversations that challenge the prevailing narratives of abuse and violence. Through this project, we aim to inspire change, empower others, and foster a future where our existence as women is no longer synonymous with resistance but rather a celebration of our strength and resilience.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
i

My great-grandmother at the age of 14, by that time she fled home to avoid the sexual and physical abuse she was receiving from her stepfather. After that, he became homeless for a period of time.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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My great-great-great-grandmother was pursued by a former Costa Rican military president/dictator who raped and impregnated her. His goal was to cut her hair and kidnap her daughter. The symbolism of a short hair woman at that time was a disgrace for not being a virgin outside marriage. She ran away to Panama and hid for several years until he was expelled from the country.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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Burning photography of the military dictator and former president of Costa Rica that raped and impregnated my great great grandmother, after that, she was threatened to prevent to speak. She had to escape since she worked as his housemaid.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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At the age of 18, crying in the tub days after being sexually abused, I was living on my own in Argentine far away from my home country, I was abused by a famous photographer while attending his workshop. I was alone and scared and used documentation as a way to verbalize my trauma.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - A photograph of the photographer who abused me.
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A photograph of the photographer who abused me.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Self-documentation was my primary tool to overcome and verbalize my trauma.
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Self-documentation was my primary tool to overcome and verbalize my trauma.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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Hearing fireworks can often be associated with joy and excitement; however, they can also represent a transformation in many cultures.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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A photo of my mother and great-grandmother. At an early age, my mom was sexually abused, it took her 50 years to verbalize it, only after I showed her this work in progress.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Self-portrait, Self-documentation was my primary tool to overcome and verbalize my trauma
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Self-portrait, Self-documentation was my primary tool to overcome and verbalize my trauma

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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A photograph of my great-great-grandmother who past years of her childhood in Almirante Panama hiding from the military who has looking for her.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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My mother's womb after she suffered obstetric violence during her hysterectomy surgery, performed by a Gynecologist who later on was charged with sexual abuse crimes.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - My grandmother always told me that the butterflies represent the rebirth of our matriarchy.
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My grandmother always told me that the butterflies represent the rebirth of our matriarchy.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - My mom and me carrying my daughter in my womb, three generations together.
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My mom and me carrying my daughter in my womb, three generations together.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
© Glorianna Ximendaz - A photograph of my pregnancy.
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A photograph of my pregnancy.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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My grandmother talked to me about the healing power of water, years after, I felt that power on my own, and now I keep seeking refuge in it, water symbolizes the return to a sacred place.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
i

My grandmother talked to me about the healing power of water, years after, I felt that power on my own, and now I keep seeking refuge in it, water symbolizes the return to a sacred place.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
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My grandmother had Intellectual disabilities as a consequence of an accident, when she was a teenager, 3 older men raped her taking advantage of her condition. 60 years later she talked about it with my mom.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - A photograph of my great-grandmother's stepfather who allegedly raped her.
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A photograph of my great-grandmother's stepfather who allegedly raped her.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Fire symbolizes birth, resurrection, hope, purification, eternity.
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Fire symbolizes birth, resurrection, hope, purification, eternity.

© Glorianna Ximendaz - Image from the Origen: Reclaiming Our Voices, Healing Our Lineage photography project
i

The urge to connect with my inner child, to heal my wounds, to rewrite my story, to overcome and avoid the revictimization of our stories.

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