This year’s member show theme; (‘rebirth’ or ‘regarding birth’) has resulted in a diverse collection of artwork exploring in a range of mediums; representations of birth and the maternal body, contemporary narratives of the mother and child relationship, abstract reflections on the domestic realm as well as work exploring adoption, loss, and the cycle of life.
Our poster image features Josie McCoy’s 1997 painting ‘The Birth’, inspired by the cover of Chumbawamba’s 1994 album ‘Anarchy’ which was subsequently banned in several countries for being too explicit. Imagery of birth, breastfeeding and artwork which explores representations of the female body are still continually censored or removed from social media. This exhibition not only challenges the censorship of the maternal experience but presents an honest and multifaceted account of what it means to be a woman and a mother in today’s world. The intimate fleeting moments, the fear and anxiety, the physical demands and the shift in identity; this exhibition is a powerful testament to the birth of a mother.
Suzanne Shierson / Joetta Maue / Nadia Nizamudin / Talitha Kukk / Emily Zarse / Cassandra Harrison / Jennifer Long / Flore Gardner / Sarah Rychtarova / Alexandra Knox / Krystelle Bamford / Charlene Scott / Kasey Jones / Alex Baker / Libby McFalls / Lauren Frances Evans / Sofia Barton / Adele Mary Reed / Zoe Freney / Imogen Di Sapia / Lee Nowell Wilson / Kaylan Buteyn / Victoria Smits / Joanna Marshall / Laura Jane Fooks / Laura Ajayi / Arin Ashley / Mya Cluff / Freddie Thomas / Genevieve Bicknell / Jessica Kirkpatrick / Suzanne Little / Crystal Brown / Jessica Timmis / A.M.W. / Josie McCoy / Sally Richardson / Jill Skulina / Katharina Quecke / Fi Bailey / Izabela Brudkiewicz / Toni Pepe / Anneleen Lindsay / Dawn Yow / Tracey Marie Taylor / Mia Marie Overgaard / Celia Kettle / Sarah Irvin / Mother Art Revisited Collective /