Illustrations by Sioejeng Tsao
Bloody Beautiful
BLOODY BEAUTIFUL is a movement aimed at normalising conversations about menstruation & menopause. Everyone is invited. Stories that are normally hidden or even taboo are celebrated in all their glory. Let’s explode some of the tired old myths and conditionings about bodies.
Part of our goal is to creatively propagate new public narratives about menstruation and menopause in a gender-forward way. Not every person who menstruates identifies as a woman and we feel it’s critical to include queer and trans dialogue on the topic of periods, which is often relegated and marginalised in public forums.
Part of this work is to evolve our own thinking and vocabulary on bodies that do and don’t bleed. BLOODY BEAUTIFUL invites collaborations with artists and technologists from around the world – some of whom are brand new to audiences – in order to open space for fresh voices in the creative expression of this topic.
YOU are invited to participate in BLOODY BEAUTIFUL through our Gossip Sessions. These public gatherings feature key artists and technologists working in the field. Read about our previous gossip sessions below or sign up to our mailing list for news of upcoming sessions.
Bloody Beautiful
Festival
02 - 03.10.2025
Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam
Registrations open on June 16.
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Past Events 2025
28 March 2025 - Tai Kwun,
Hong Kong
Even in 2025, images of period blood and menstruating avatars are banned in metaverse environments. affect lab took this as an urgent call for digital inclusivity – to celebrate menstruating bodies in the metaverse – and Bleeding into the Metaverse was born. In March 2025, it was commissioned by Tai Kwun Contemporary for Artists’ Night (in partnership with Art Basel) in Hong Kong.
Will We Bleed
in Outer Space?
23 April 2025 - Independent School for the City, Rotterdam
This gossip session explores the design of living and working environments for menstruators beyond Earth. Situated within a feminist praxis (reclaiming gossip as a source of knowledge sharing), this event examines the current status of menstruation in outer space, led by architect Thaïs Zuchetti and former NASA space gynaecologist Dr Varsha Jain.
Amsterdam Museum
23 May 2025 - Amsterdam Museum as part of AM Late: Vrouwen van Amsterdam
In this unique collaboration between Bloody Beautiful and the Amsterdam Museum we pay homage to some of the first Dutch women who documented and shared their experiences of menstruation. We will dive into a little-seen-before archive of letters, collected and saved by feminist Elly Brink between 1970 and 1980 and later re-discovered by curator Debra Knoop. The Bloody Beautiful team has designed a live event where we reflect and read from this unmissable feminist archive that chronicles the everyday experiences, shame, taboo and defiance of women from a previous generation; and relate these stories to our current movement for womxn’s rights
World Expo Osaka 2025
28 March 2025 - Dutch Pavillion, Osaka, Japan
In 2025 BLOODY BEAUTIFUL continues its global mission with outreach and creative networking meetups in Japan – guided by collaborator Sputniko! (the artist name of Hiro Ozaki). BLOODY BEAUTIFUL opens space for artistic dialogue and urgent research. affect lab will explore how their work can offer another platform for storytelling and expression in Japan by connecting diverse worlds of femtech, academia, art and menstrual equity community groups - into one shared mission. This year, affect lab will also present a remixed video artwork related to their first collaboration with Sputniko! (2023) titled “Bleeding into the Metaverse”.
Hot Flash Dance
Clash Playtest
3 June 2025 - Effenaar, Eindhoven
For several months affect lab has been prototyping a new Bloody Beautiful project: Hot Flash Dance Clash. It is now time to make a “play test” and we need your moves on the dancefloor.
20 people were invited to a (sneak preview) play test of Hot Flash Dance Clash at Effenaar in Eindhoven.
Past Events 2023-24
21 March 2024 - Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo
In our first international presentation of Bloody Beautiful, affect lab and SPUTNIKO! exchanged insights and inspiration for how art can impact menstruation and menopause rights.
31 October 2024 - Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam
A gossip session where we explored how cultural myths, biases, and stereotypes about menopause are sustained.
18 January 2024 - Independent School for the City, Rotterdam
In this gossip session we highlighted the relationship between menstrual stigma and the built environment. With architect Molly Hughes, community organiser Tammy Sheldon and researcher Mayim Frieden.
21 & 28 November, 2023 - affect lab, Amsterdam
In this two-part workshop produced in collaboration with Radical Data, we used queer theory to explore alternative self-tracking techniques, in a move away from mainstream menstrual tracking apps.
12 October 2023 - W139, Amsterdam
In this gossip session we explored the myths, magic and science of menstruating bodies with artist Annika Kappner and femtech CEO Isabelle Guenou.
18 July 2023 - Paradiso, Amsterdam
A gossip session in support of menstruation rights for all female & queer bodies in the Metaverse with Japanese artist and femtech pioneer Sputniko! (Hiro Ozaki).
14 June 2023 - Tempel, Amsterdam
A gossip session celebrating menopause with artist Petra Kroon, presenter Milouska Meulens and menopause coach Desirée van Cleef.
This project is kindly supported by Creative Industries Fund NL, AFK, Vriendenloterij and Cultuurloket DigitALL.