Hidden Mothers

My work explores delicate relationships--our existence as material and concept, the interweaving of two partners in love and the bond of parent and child. In the era of helicopter parents and tiger moms, mothering is not only personal, but political.

The series Hidden Mothers references the early usages of photography. During this time photography was expensive and often one only had a handful of images during their lifetime. Exposure times were long and mothers who wanted a record of their children would often hide themselves under a piece of fabric and hold their children for the duration of the exposure to ensure a sharp image. These historic images are often referred to as “hidden mother” photographs. I have created formally similar images, as a metaphor for the unrecognized physical and emotional work that mothers do to support and nurture their children. Mothers are wrapped in colorful floral bed linens to elicit traditional notions of femininity and domestic spaces. The wrapping of each mother hides the details of her identity and functions as an expression of her inner psyche.