what the earth knows. laura lemoon | july 2 - august 1, 2026
What the Earth Knows is an award-winning photo collection about violence against people in the sex trade by sex worker artist Laura LeMoon.
Explore the collection here.
The Green River Killer, known as Gary Ridgway, is a serial murderer that targeted people in the sex trade between 1982-1999 in Washington state, until his arrest and conviction in 2001. When asked why he targeted sex workers, his response was because "no one cares about prostitutes." A significant number of Ridgway's victims were teenage runaways forced into prostitution, and adult female sex workers working the Seattle area's "tracks." The images in this exhibition are portraits in negative space, not merely landscapes.
Laura LeMoon gives voices to those silenced by violence against people in the sex trade. She explains: "the hatred against us is overwhelming, including hatred by society that doesn't want us in it, the extortion from police, or the beatings, robbings, rapings that seem to come from everyone from strangers, to law enforcement, pimps, and customers. The hatred is palpable from our hostile criminal "justice" system and our hostile medical system, to the federal and state governments that pass laws to annihilate us, to partners and family members who are disgusted and ashamed of us. Gary Ridgway is an amalgamation of all the immense hatred from society that we as sex workers and sex trafficking survivors face everyday. And we will not remain invisible for your comfort anymore."
The series, exhibited in Tokyo, London, Greece, NYC, Los Angeles, Seattle and more, won Italy's International Prize Leonardo da Vinci.
About the artist
Laura LeMoon (MFA) is a sex worker, sex trafficking survivor, writer, and artist. Her essays on sex work and trafficking have been featured in HuffPost, Wall Street Journal, Salon, South Seattle Emerald, Insider, The Daily Beast, Mashable, and more. She served as policy advisor on sex work to the U.S. DOJ, UN Office of Drugs and Crime, CDC, City of Seattle, White House Domestic Policy Council and more. This series has been exhibited in LA, Tokyo, NYC, London and will soon show in Paris, Athens, Greece and Melbourne, Australia. Laura lives in Tacoma, WA with her rescue pup, Coco Bean.
what the earth knows. explore the collection
