Periods don’t hold women back. Hiding them does.That very powerful mantra is the foundation of  a campaign for Kotex by David London and Ogilvy Singapore, Arts Missing Period, that brings back creative works that were deemed too sensitive for the public to view. The initiative aims to change how menstruation is represented and accepted in culture. 

The campaign points out that art has often featured bloodshed, often in acts of violence and in sacrifices. Never considered too gory for the public to view. But menstrual blood? Artworks from as far back as 35,000 BCE through to contemporary art have been removed from galleries for being “too sensitive”.

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 “Visibility shapes culture, and we set out to change both,” stated Genevieve Gransden, executive creative director at DAVID London. “This is not just a campaign. It is a restoration of voices, narrative and art that deserves to be seen,” added Selma Ahmed, executive creative director at DAVID London.

The campaign extends into a broad, cultural rollout:

• A short documentary by Emmy award-winning filmmaker, Kathryn Everett, narrated by award-winning journalist and producer, Noor Tagouri, questions why society accepts blood depicting violence but not the blood of life and creation, and tells the stories of artists who have faced period stigma first-hand.

• OOH mobile billboard and wild postings placed outside museums – the Guggenheim, MET, Whitney Museum and MOMA among them – confront people directly at the doorstep of the art world and turn streets into an unmissable gallery.

• Lastly, QR codes on all out-of-home placements direct audiences to avirtual gallery that exhibits over 40 pieces of period-themed art for one year and supports artists, galleries and exhibitions that host these works.