In Ada Marino’s series Paterfamilas, constraint and discomfort are a persistent presence. A hand forcibly restrains a bird. Milk overflows from a glass. Broken dishes are piled high on a sideboard. Through these surreal, monochromatic scenes, Marino speaks to female oppression and her experience living in a patriarchal society.

“My grandmother was abused and denigrated by an authoritarian husband,” the Italian artist tells me from her home in Wales, where she moved to study. “Paterfamilias is informed by her story while revisiting my memories of living in a male-dominated family and culture. Women faced repression, a lack of space for personal fulfillment, an absence of economic independence and consequent punishments as acts of correction and discipline. Essentially, all freedoms are denied to create an ever-widening gender gap.”

Making domestic violence more visible is the driving force of Marino’s current work as a photographer, a career she only came to five years ago. Before this, she was a housewife, raising children and dedicating herself to her family and husband. Marino, who is 41, explains that exploring her creative potential has become the perfect antidote to a life dictated by patriarchy.