If not now, when? International Women’s Day exhibition explores “pandemic parenting” through the eyes of artist mothers.
If not now, when? Is a two-part virtual exhibition curated by Spilt Milk Gallery CIC, presenting the work of over 40 international women and non-binary artists who have been mothering during the pandemic. Launching on International Women’s Day (March 8th), part one of the exhibition explores the impact of the pandemic on mothers’ emotional, physical and psychological wellbeing, while part two is a call-to-action toward a post-pandemic world free of oppression.
A year on from the first lockdown’s being imposed around the world, we are facing the reality that “unless we act now, the pandemic could set women’s rights back by decades” (United Nations 2020). This past year has seen systems of oppression rise to the surface once more, and has uncovered inequalities which can no longer be overlooked. Artists in the exhibition present the unique experiences and complex challenges of mothering during a pandemic, and look to a future where resilience, resistance and the elevation of motherhood can empower and inspire.
Work in the exhibition includes Lottie Bolster’s “Protection”; a hand embroidered portrait of a masked mother holding her baby for the first time, her words: “I so dearly wished to show him my face.” Michelle Gallagher’s ceramic boxing glove adorned with broken glass, the title declaring “The ceiling is breaking”, and, “WE INSIST!! IT COULD HAVE BEEN MY SON,” a collaborative video work between two American mothers Patricia Rain Gianneschi and Monika Kelsie who are part of the collective ‘Mother Art Revisited.’
The exhibition will go live on Spilt Milk Gallery CIC’s website at 9am Monday 8th March and be available to view until April 11th.
If Not Now, When?