Mythical Mother

About

Mythical Mother 

Curated by Georgie White Winter

Exhibiting artists: Shweta Bist, Michelle Gallagher, Marcia Michael, Nadia Nizamudin, Helen Sargeant, Celine Sheridan, Lynsey Watson, Georgie White Winter, and Maliheh Zafarnezhad.

Today the mother is tied up in myth and mystery. If we are to understand who we are then we must look at our mothers, and at our mothers’ mothers. For centuries, mythology and folklore across different cultures have either idealised or demonised women as Goddesses, warriors, clairvoyants, monsters or witches. Whether revered as magical or dreaded as monstrous, representations of motherhood are steeped in expectation and preconceived ideas. We are mythical mothers yet our bodies and identities are still determined and shaped by predominant cultural expectations. What influence have these narratives had on modern mothers? As we lay our heads on the pillow and start dreaming, do we feel empowered? What does motherhood look like for us, and for others? Mythical Mother presents work by nine international artists who grapple with these very questions. The exhibition challenges us to look through and beyond the dominant myths and toward a multifaceted mother whose truth and vulnerability provides a space to reclaim the value of mothering.

Artworks in the exhibition include Georgie White Winter’s photo series ‘Old Wives Tales’ exploring folklore in pregnancy; photographic portraits by Shweta Bist which contemplate how motherhood has been portrayed in Hindu, Christian, Greek and Egyptian mythologies; sculptural works by Maliheh Zafarnezhad created during the third lockdown, and Marcia Michael’s self-portraits as a “living myth” exploring her identity as a black woman and mother. The exhibition also includes new paintings by Celine Sheridan, mixed media textiles by Nadia Nizamudin, performance by Lynsey Watson and ceramic sculpture by Michelle Gallagher. 

Mythical Mother is an online exhibition curated by Georgie White Winter in partnership with Spilt Milk Gallery CIC. The exhibition will be live on Spilt Milk Gallery’s website from 9th September at 7pm. 

Events Programme

The accompanying programme of events kicks off with an online opening event and conversation with art historian and writer Lucy Soutter who will explore the myths of motherhood with the artists and audience. Our second event; The Stories Our Mothers Told Us, will see four artists from the exhibition (Nadia Nizamudin, Maricia Michael, Helen Sargeant and Georgie White Winter) in discussion with curator and writer Becca Pelly-Fry. Our final event is the Night of Mythical Mothers hosted by Jemima Burrill with new performances from Lynsey Watson, Lisa Evans, Rebecca Livesey-Right, Jemima Burrill and SOPHIE.