Afterbirth

The Artery, 9535 Jasper Ave, Edmonton, AB T5H 3V2

April 1 - May 1, 2011

Curatorial Statement

The entrance to motherhood is an abrupt change. “The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” (~Rajneesh)

Most mothers develop a sublime attachment to their children. Mothers surrender themselves to the child. Female artists give up their studio spaces, toxic paints, sharp ended paint brushes and other potentially hazardous materials to keep their children out of harms way. They either forget themselves completely and set aside the passion of art making, or when they finally break through the haze of baby brain, mothers begin to find wonder in the charming chaos that motherhood drops in their laps.

Thought processes change when a woman delivers a child. Mothers eat different food, wear different clothes and make different artwork.

The three artists exhibiting, Gabriela Rosende, Andrea Lefebvre and Horeczko Rusler, are new mothers (children aged 6 months – 3 years). This exhibit focuses on the new directions of artistic expression taken by each artist after birth.