Mother Untitled is an experimental multimedia work that reflects on my personal experience of becoming a mother.
My transition into motherhood was chaotic and full of conflicting emotions—an overwhelming journey marked by countless questions and very few answers. I moved between moments of intense joy and deep fear, from feeling instinctively protective to doubting my ability to care for another human being. Days of inspiration were often followed by waves of anxiety brought on by the monotony of domestic life. As my body and identity shifted, I found myself unsettled, wondering why I wasn’t happy, why everything felt dreamlike and surreal, and why I seemed to be the only woman feeling this way.
My transition into motherhood was chaotic and full of conflicting emotions—an overwhelming journey marked by countless questions and very few answers. I moved between moments of intense joy and deep fear, from feeling instinctively protective to doubting my ability to care for another human being. Days of inspiration were often followed by waves of anxiety brought on by the monotony of domestic life. As my body and identity shifted, I found myself unsettled, wondering why I wasn’t happy, why everything felt dreamlike and surreal, and why I seemed to be the only woman feeling this way.
In creating this work, I stepped outside my comfort zone both emotionally and artistically. Much of my practice has centred on documenting the lives of others, but here I turned the camera toward myself. The camera becomes a witness—a stand-in for the world to which I perform my unease, the pressure to meet expectations that are not mine, and the erosion of identity that follows.
I also began experimenting with textiles, a material historically tied to women’s labour and the domestic sphere, using fabric as a medium for storytelling. Through this, I explore the tactile, intimate, and often invisible dimensions of caregiving.
Ultimately, Mother Untitled reflects on traditional representations of motherhood, confronting the myths, romanticised narratives, and persistent taboos that surround it. By questioning these cultural scripts, the work seeks to illuminate how they shape our perceptions and expectations of women in the 21st century.
