Glorija Lizde's Photographic Care: From Charcot's Women to Healing

Photographer Glorija Lizde, based in Split, creates quasi-documentaries exploring family dynamics through difficult conversations. Her recent artist publication 'I Swallowed my Dream' (2025) engages with 19th-century neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot's photographs of women diagnosed with hysteria, which were staged at the Salpêtrière clinic in Paris. Charcot used hypnosis and photography as diagnostic tools, often objectifying unnamed women. Lizde, who holds a Master's in Photography from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, recontextualizes these images by cropping them to reveal details like hands and necks rather than contorted bodies, avoiding re-traumatization. Her work also addresses her father's schizophrenia, explored in the 2018 series 'F20.5', where she recreates childhood memories through imagined hallucinations. Lizde's practice emphasizes ethical responsibility in image-making, distinguishing between 'taking' and 'making' photographs. The article discusses the rise of anti-abortion laws and femicides from Warsaw to Split as context for her interest in Charcot's legacy.