The National Gallery of Victoria's (NGV) latest exhibition, Mother, is a thought-provoking exploration of artists' experiences of motherhood throughout history. The exhibition pairs a 15th-century oil painting of the Madonna and Child by Giovanni Toscani with a 1998 conical birth mat by East Arnhem Land artist Elizabeth Birritjama Ngalandjarri, creating a powerful contrast between the traditional and the contemporary. This unique approach is a testament to the exhibition's curatorial vision, as co-curator Sophie Gerhard explains, "It's such an amazing opportunity to bring things together that have never been shown in the same context before." The exhibition is curated almost entirely from the NGV's existing collection, traversing the "life cycle" of a mother, from matrescence to loss and grief. The show is particularly notable for its inclusion of First Nations stories, which are often missing from exhibitions on motherhood held overseas. Among the new acquisitions is a work by Melbourne artist Kate Just, "An Armour of Hope (2012)", a finely knitted chain mail armour for her adopted child Harper. The exhibition also features a range of fibre arts and textiles, including Quandamooka artist Kyra Mancktelow's "One Continuous String (2021)", which pays homage to her grandmother's weaving technique. The show also includes works by the late Destiny Deacon and Hannah Brontë, who challenge traditional notions of motherhood. The exhibition is not just about personal experiences, but also about the political. It asks us to consider maternal aesthetics more deeply, questioning which images reinforce tight and unrelenting roles of mother and which give carers more room to be fully realized humans. The exhibition is a meaningful show for many, as it resonates with people's lives and makes them want to share their own stories. As someone currently on maternity leave, I found it particularly relatable, and it was a relief to see a grand venue such as the Ian Potter Centre give itself over to these questions. The exhibition is on display at the NGV until July 12.
