Mothering Myths: An ABC of Art, Birth and Care dismantles the clichés, stigmas, and inherited assumptions around motherhood through a transhistorical and intersectional lens, using art to open space for radically different ways of thinking about care, identity, and self-determination.
About This Book
Motherhood has long been defined by convention — and by exclusion. Mothering Myths refuses that narrowness. Working across history and culture, Laurie Cluitmans and Heske ten Cate examine the figure of the artist-mother, the voluntarily childless woman, the non-female mother, and the so-called raven mother, bringing each into critical focus through the work of artists who have engaged these themes. The result is a publication that treats mothering not as a fixed biological or social role but as a contested, political, and deeply personal territory. For artists, curators, and scholars invested in feminist discourse, gender studies, and the intersection of art and lived experience, this is essential reading.
Key Features
- 312 pages of transhistorical and intersectional essays, artist discussions, and visual material
- Authors: Laurie Cluitmans and Heske ten Cate
- Published in parallel with exhibitions at Centraal Museum Utrecht and Nest Art Space, The Hague
- Published by Valiz, ISBN 9789493246423
What You'll Discover
- How artists have historically challenged and subverted the myths surrounding motherhood and feminine identity
- The emancipatory potential of the artist-mother as a figure who holds creative practice and caregiving in productive tension
- Critical perspectives on voluntary childlessness, non-female mothering, and the politics of reproductive self-determination
- How an intersectional framework reshapes our understanding of who mothers, who cares, and on whose terms
About the Author
Laurie Cluitmans and Heske ten Cate are the co-authors of this publication. [Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 312
- Dimensions: 240 x 320 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9789493246423
- Publisher: Valiz
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Artists, curators, feminist scholars, and readers engaged with gender studies, reproductive politics, and the cultural history of care and motherhood.