Contemporary Art Inspired by Motherhood – Bold and Diverse
- slingshotmagazine
- Feb 7, 2019
- 1 min read
Updated: Mar 10, 2019
by Jekaterina Drozdovica
Motherhood has long served as a fertile ground of inspiration. From the early stages of pregnancy, to the unique and long-lasting mother-child connection, artists around the world celebrate maternity.
In 1976, American conceptual artist Mary Kelly showcased an installation of her personal diaries, stained nappy liners and slates engraved with her child’s first words. “Post-Partum Document” is the artist’s reflection on the complex relationship with her six-year-old son. Using psychoanalysis to make sense of it all, Kelly welcomed the public onto her own journey.
Although universal, motherhood is a multi-faceted experience. Renee Cox is a Jamaican-American artist and photographer. In her 1993 “The Yo Mama” self-portrait, Cox breaks the stereotype of a mother being soft and tender. The naked artist holds her two-year old son while standing in high heels, being at once both feminine with her fine body curves, and tough in her ready-to-fight posture.
A similar photo piece, Catherine Opie’s 2003 “Self-Portrait/Nurturing” has a very different meaning. Opie is breastfeeding her son in a traditionally maternal pose while a faintly apparent scar reads “Pervert” on her chest. The fresh wound featured in her earlier work - 1994 “Self-Portrait/Pervert” which explored leather subculture present in LA in the nineties. In “Self-Portrait/Nurturing” Opie shows her role as a mother blending in with her past identities.
Feminine, tough, analytical, leather or high-heels lovers – mothers around the world are unique and different. There should be no boundaries to how they express it.
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