Being an artist-mother or mother-artist can be challenging. More and more younger artist-mothers are stepping up and showing us what it means to combine motherhood and art. Being an older mother, with children who have left home, can be challenging as well. Identity, body and role are changing and a transformation takes place. My latest project ‘Layers of Self’ is the start of an investigation into this transformational phase.
Layers of Self* explores the life stage that follows active motherhood: a period of redefinition, letting go, and rediscovery. As an artist and mother, I ask myself: who am I now that my children have left home? How do my body and identity shift? What future possibilities emerge? This project serves as both a personal and a universal reflection on a phase rarely centered in the art world—a sphere that often focuses on men (with or without children) or, more recently, on artists raising young children.
My intention is to make this transition visible, tangible, and palpable. I explore how identity is not static, but rather composed of layers of memories, physical changes, and dreams for the future. Through materials that bear the traces of time, labor, and transformation, I aim to spark a dialogue about what it means for a mother and artist to enter a new phase of life.
For my research, I am also interested in the stories and experiences of other artist-mothers with older children. So, if you are an artist (woman) with older children and would like to share your stories and experiences with me, I would love to hear from you!