A woman who has explored her motherhood journey through a camera lens will share the experience in an exhibit on Gabriola Island.
Stephanie Artuso expresses her thoughts and feelings in ‘No Mom Is An Island’ which shows at the Free Spirit Gallery until the last Saturday of the month.
A release for the show described Artuso’s images as “ethereal, authentic and raw” as they capture sides of motherhood not often depicted: real moments of navigating identify, overwhelm and grief.
The expansive view of motherhood through an artist’s eyes, as depicted in Artuso’s exhibit, is relatively new in the art world as it is often represented through a male perspective with expectations rather than realities of the journey, noted the release.
The Gabriola woman’s exploration as a photographer provides a visual communication that can be difficult to articulate in words; her background in counselling offers depth of her empathy for the role, the release added. She forgoes the perception that mothering should be selfless and stoic, and brings forth the need for camaraderie, intergenerational support and the requirement of time and forgiveness for missteps taken.
“Her work calls to mind another photographer, Sally Mann, whose depictions of her children in the nude were called out by critics as being objectification of her children,” read the release. “Of course, for her, as a mother, these were simply a reflection of her everyday life.”
Artuso’s photos of her own daughter avoids the portrayal of capturing innocence and perpetual smiling and instead reveals the wisdom, intensity and spirit of her child, choosing not to force smiles or the artificiality of posed moments that are often demanded of girls.
‘No Mom Is An Island’ can be viewed at the Free Spirit Gallery, 590 North Rd., until Nov. 26, Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
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