Who Is Afraid of Motherhood?
The starting point of this exhibition is the conviction that, while motherhood is a deeply personal experience, it is always influenced by the fact that it is also an institution that has been largely shaped by a world operating on unequal terms. At the heart of the exhibition is the tension between personal and social life, and the question of how motherhood might serve as a means to envision and create a more caring society.
Gallery
Parenting is thus interpreted and addressed in a broad sense at this exhibition. Although gender-specific challenges are highlighted, motherhood is viewed more broadly as a relationship between the caregiver and the cared-for. Furthermore, when discussing motherhood, we should not speak solely of the relationship between parent and child and the joys and challenges associated with it, or more generally of being a parent or a child; we must also address voluntary childlessness, successful and unsuccessful fertility treatments and reproductive rights, as well as different ways of being a family, single parenthood, the absence of parents and violence and its causes. When it comes to motherhood, we talk about relationships, existence, birth, death and, of course, love.
The exhibition explores various facets of motherhood – a vast and complex topic – through works created by artists largely based on their personal experiences. The primary motif framing the exhibition is fear. The artists point out, analyse and interpret the fears associated with parenthood, either by expressing their perplexity or by confronting the roots of that fear: societal attitudes, contradictions, assumptions, ideologies and a lack of solidarity and care. On the other hand, the exhibition Who Is Afraid of Motherhood?, presenting scenarios for change and transforming many personal experiences into shared ones, could offer comfort and hope in coping with these fears.
Artists: Jurga Barilaitė (Lithuania), Renate Bertlmann (Austria), Elina Brotherus (Finland), Miriam Cahn (Switzerland), Lilija Dinere (Latvia), Martina Drozd Smutná (Czech Republic), Andrea Fajgerné Dudás (Hungary), Vika Eksta (Latvia), Aneta Grzeszykowska (Poland), Annika Haas (Estonia), Gideon Horváth (Hungary/France), Hanna Hrabarska (Ukraine), Cloe Jancis (Estonia), Zuzanna Janin (Poland), Rasa Jansone (Latvia), Maria Kapajeva (Estonia), Edith Karlson (Estonia), Flo Kasearu (Estonia), Lenka Klodová (Czech Republic), Maija Kurševa (Latvia), Kris Lemsalu (Estonia), Katya Lesiv (Ukraine), Kateryna Lysovenko (Ukraine), Anda Magone (Latvia), Cecylia Malik (Poland), MATERNAL FANTASIES (international artist collective), Natalie Mei (Estonia), Marju Mutsu (Estonia), Hanna Piksarv (Estonia), Peter Puklus (Hungary), Anu Põder (Estonia), Emília Rigová (Slovakia), Leszek Rózga (Poland), Ahlam Shibli (Palestine), Killu Sukmit (Estonia), Sophia Süßmilch (Germany), Jaan Toomik (Estonia), Kata Tranker (Hungary), Marta Vaarik (Estonia) and Del LaGrace Volcano (USA)
The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive bilingual book that brings together diverse perspectives on the experience and meaning of motherhood, complementing and expanding upon the exhibition’s themes. The book’s editor and one of its authors is the exhibition’s curator, Eda Tuulberg; the co-authors include Yevheniia Butsykina, Mikala Hyldig Dal, Brigitta Davidjants, Rasa Jansone, Eglė Kačkutė -Hagan, Maarja Kangro, Jana Kukaine, Kateřina Olivová, Martina Pachmanová, Viktória Popovics, Ingrid Ruudi, Zuzana Štefková and Aliona (Jelena) Šalaj.
Curator: Eda Tuulberg
Exhibition designer: Flo Kasearu
Graphic design: Brit Pavelson
Public and educational programme: Maria Lota Lumiste, Anu Lüsi and Feministeerium
Technical support: Tõnis Medri and Tõnu Narro
Coordinator: Magdaleena Maasik
Exhibition team:
Renita Raudsepp, Helen Volber, Kaisa-Piia Pedajas, Klaire Kolmann, Tiina Randus and Richard Adang