- MOTHERING {PROPOSAL}
Goal:
Real change can only emerge from the exercise of imagining a different world. “Mothering” is an invitation to dream, negotiate and expand the horizons of the possible. We aim to address the institutional and systemic constraints of motherhood, so we can look at mothering in its full potential.
Mothering is an exhibition and ongoing project, draws on collectivity and creativity as paths towards improving life in our community and beyond, as such we have reached out to partners and collaborators from multiple fields, beyond the visual arts, to participate in the public programme (dance, behaviour science, lactation) and publication (literature).
This is a 55SP projetc in partnership with Kupfer Project and will take place
Mothering/ Mae
London: 25 of June - 06 of August 2022
São Paulo: 06 of August - 19th of September 2022
FULL TEXT
Real change can only emerge from the exercise of imagining a different world. “Mothering” is an invitation to dream, negotiate and expand the horizons of the possible. We aim to address the institutional and systemic constraints of motherhood, so we can look at mothering in its full potential. Mothers do not have a monopoly of love and care. However, we want to celebrate mother’s capacity to nurture new life, to collaborate, to listen, to be flexible, and to lose part of themselves without losing their integrity. We embrace an intersectional definition of mother. The mission of “Mothering” is to open up the debate and reflect on how to reject and unlearn the social structures that exclude mothers and render childcare duties invisible. Our premise is that potential solutions can only be found in the intersection of efforts working towards racial, economic, disability and gender justice within a caring community. After all, “it takes a village to raise a child”. To celebrate motherhood is to promote deeper and more diverse relations, connections and experiences. Art is a well established and enduring conduit to exercise creative potential. It has the power to transform individual and collective lives. “Mothering” aspires to be a trigger that reminds us of our human condition dependent on giving and receiving care and love. It offers a platform for people to experience, discuss, express and celebrate this human intrinsic need that manifests in all its great diversity.
The sad reality is that the majority of artists struggle to develop and sustain financially viable creative careers, and this is particularly true among mother artists, who are made invisible by the pressures of unpaid childcare work and whose struggles, dreams, fantasies and concerns are often deemed irrelevant to the art world. “Mothering” aspires to bridge this gap by offering a platform to mother artists and artists working with the complex concept of motherhood.
By increasing the visibility of mother artists and the subject of motherhood in the art world, and inviting people to reflect, through art, on the revolutionary power of love and care beyond the body and monopoly of women, the ultimate aim of “Mothering” is to create a more socially cohesive, mentally healthier and more sustainable society, of which everyone will benefit. All human life is born of a mother. “Mothering” aims to use this unifying experience to welcome everyone to contribute to its activities and reflections. “Mothering” draws on collectivity and creativity as paths towards improving life in our community and beyond, as such we have reached out to partners and collaborators from multiple fields, beyond the visual arts, to participate in the public programme (dance, behaviour science, lactation) and publication (literature).
Finally, through a partnership with São Paulo-based gallery 55SP, “Mothering” is travelling to Brazil. This invite aligns with our objectives to expand the discussion beyond the UK and leverage a new network with the potential to double our reach and fundraising via artwork sales. Our ambition is to exhibit video works in São Paulo as well as ship some of the artworks. This will be an opportunity to strengthen England’s reputation as a country at the forefront of cultural development and diverse initiatives.
The majority of our contributors are mothers or artists/practitioners who deal with the concept of motherhood in their practice. When putting together our team of contributors we have taken into account an intersectional approach to motherhood and have strived to represent mothers in all their diversity, in line with the understanding that being a mother is not something tied to a physical or fixed category or identity, but an ongoing act of parenting and caring. There is no one kind of mother, as well as the decision of not becoming a mother, and we have sought to incorporate this understanding into our cohort of artists and contributors.
This month we are finalizing artist list and video program, bringing onboard
Penelope Kupfer - artist and London project curator
Her practice includes drawing, painting, printmaking and installation, as well as curatorial activities. I run two project spaces: Kupfer Project which is a gallery in Hackney Central and 213 Kupfer and outdoor project that emerged during the first lockdown.
Mogli Saura Artist and performer
Brazilian, nomad, currently residing in São Paulo.
Mo(fa)ther, performer, singer, songwriter,
writer, permaculturist and yoga instructor.
She has experimented and investigated interventions in urban spaces since 2006, starting from the borders of art and life, madness and crime - and their categorical-structural relations involving race, gender and class.
Brasileire, nômade, atualmente residindo em São Paulo.
Pãe de matilha, performer, cantore, compositore,
escritore, permacultore e instrutore de yoga.
Experimenta e investiga intervenções em espaços urbanos desde 2006, partindo das fronteiras arte e vida, loucura e crime - e suas relações categórico-estruturais envolvendo raça, gênero e classe.
For next month we are going to have public program and bring researchers, artists and educator to the Near Ecosystem.
Mothering Public Program Research London USD 350
Mothering Video Program Edition Fee USD 150
TOTAL USD 500