The relationship between mother and child is one of the oldest and most enduring subjects in art history. From ancient cave paintings and Egyptian tombs to Renaissance frescoes and contemporary works, artists have long explored the profound, complex experiences of motherhood.
To celebrate the opening of MOTHER: Stories from the NGV Collection, hear from some of the artists featured in the exhibition as they reflect on what it means to be, and to have, a mother.
NGV curators Sophie Gerhard and Katharina Prugger, will be joined by exhibiting artists Hayley Millar Baker, Katherine Hattam and Ruth O’Leary to explore motherhood in all its complexity – from expectations and tensions to tenderness, joy, and love.
MOTHER: Stories from the NGV Collection presents diverse stories drawn from across the NGV Collection. The exhibition features works by contemporary and historical Australian and First Nations artists, alongside international art. It explores both universal and culturally specific experiences of motherhood – from private transformation and societal expectation to intergenerational trauma and loss, mythology and religious iconography, storytelling and language and the deep connection between motherhood, nature and Country.