Art / exhibition
Groundbreaking exhibition questions how society values maternal work
“Too often maternal labour is overlooked by society at large” says Dr Michal Nahman, co-curator of a new groundbreaking online exhibition exploring societal perceptions of motherhood.
This is Essential Work gathers hundreds of artworks, films and images exploring the lived-in experiences of those performing social reproductive labour.
“Social reproductive labour” encompasses the activities associated with caring for oneself and others, maintaining physical spaces (for example, cleaning or shopping) and reproduction (bearing children) – all roles traditionally performed by women for low or no wages.
is needed now More than ever
Dr Michal Nahman from UWE Bristol, herself a mother, argues that the list of work is endless for mothers, and that this holds up across the world: “Nurturing, feeding, bearing, and caring work is crucial to the survival of humans everywhere, yet it is rarely perceived as work”.
‘Exaustão (Exhaustion)’ – painting: Bia Melo
After an open callout, Nahman and co-creator Susan Newman from the Open University received over 700 artworks from around the world.
“The exhibition brings together artists from around the world and questions familiar social constructs and barriers and draws out different historical experiences across class, cultures, and geographical space and time. The art conveys how this work and bodies get devalued,” says Nahman.
The exhibition shows multiple forms of social reproductive work: conceiving, feeding, clothing, cleaning, teaching, and entertaining, as well as exploring the act of play as an effective tool in the ways that mothers impart knowledge to children.
This is Essential Work also explores lesser discussed elements of maternal work, such as how fatigue and the sacrifice of social reproduction moulds the next generation.
“Many of the works show us the embodied nature of mothering, the physicality of this labour, and its transformative effects on the bodies of workers is manifest and inescapable,” says Nahman.
‘Victoria’s Shadow’ – photo: Daniela Torrente
“All this at a time when some states are removing women’s autonomy over their reproductive bodies through legislation.”
This is Essential Work emerged from research funded by a UWE Bristol Vice Chancellor’s Award for Interdisciplinary Collaborative Research. The research was conducted just before the pandemic in Bengaluru, India, and explored mothers’ provision of “excess” breast milk to a private company that was processing it and selling it at a profit.
“This feminist exhibition is about showcasing this gendered work: to acknowledge, to grieve, and importantly, to connect with one another.”
This is Essential Work is available to view online for free for the next 12 months.
Main photo: Daniela Torrente
Read next:
- The cost of childcare crisis in Bristol uncovered
- Bristol campaign to highlight cost of childcare crisis
- ‘I’m basically working for free – everything I earn goes on childcare’
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