Who is Afraid of Motherhood?

The starting point of the exhibition Who is Afraid of Motherhood? is the conviction that, while motherhood is a deeply personal experience, it is also an institution that has been largely shaped by a world operating on unequal terms. At the heart of the exhibition is the tension between personal and social life, and the question of how motherhood might serve as a means to envision and create a more caring society.

The exhibition explores various facets of motherhood—a vast and complex topic—through works created by artists largely based on their personal experiences. The primary motif framing the exhibition is fear. The artists point out, analyse and interpret the fears associated with parenthood, either by expressing their perplexity or by confronting the roots of that fear: societal attitudes, contradictions, assumptions, ideologies and a lack of solidarity and care. On the other hand, the exhibition Who Is Afraid of Motherhood?, presenting scenarios for change and transforming many personal experiences into shared ones, could offer comfort and hope in coping with these fears.

On April 8–April 9, 2027 a conference titled Entangled Motherhoods: Care, Politics and Intimacies, takes place in Tallinn. The conference in cooperation with the Kumu Art Museum, the Estonian Academy of Arts and Rīga Stradiņš University, serves as a satellite event to the exhibition Who’s Afraid of Motherhood? and brings together perspectives and experiences from Central and Eastern Europe.

The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive bilingual book that brings together diverse perspectives on the experience and meaning of motherhood, complementing and expanding upon the exhibition’s themes. The book’s editor and one of its authors is the exhibition’s curator, Eda Tuulberg; the co-authors include Yevheniia Butsykina, Mikala Hyldig Dal, Brigitta Davidjants, Rasa Jansone, Eglė Kačkutė-Hagan, Maarja Kangro, Jana Kukaine, Kateřina Olivová, Martina Pachmanová, Viktória Popovics, Ingrid Ruudi, Zuzana Štefková and Aliona (Jelena) Šalaj.

Artists
Jurga Barilaitė (Lithuania), Renate Bertlmann (Austria), Elina Brotherus (Finland), Miriam Cahn (Switzerland), Lilija Dinere (Latvia), Martina Drozd Smutná (Czech Republic), Andrea Fajgerné Dudás (Hungary), Vika Eksta (Latvia), Aneta Grzeszykowska (Poland), Annika Haas (Estonia), Gideon Horváth (Hungary/France), Hanna Hrabarska (Ukraine), Cloe Jancis (Estonia), Zuzanna Janin (Poland), Rasa Jansone (Latvia), Maria Kapajeva (Estonia), Edith Karlson (Estonia), Flo Kasearu (Estonia), Lenka Klodová (Czech Republic), Maija Kurševa (Latvia), Kris Lemsalu (Estonia), Katya Lesiv (Ukraine), Kateryna Lysovenko (Ukraine), Anda Magone (Latvia), Cecylia Malik (Poland), MATERNAL FANTASIES (international artist collective), Riina Maidre (Estonia), Natalie Mei (Estonia), Marju Mutsu (Estonia), Marianne Männi (Estonia), Hanna Piksarv (Estonia), Peter Puklus (Hungary), Anu Põder (Estonia), Emília Rigová (Slovakia), Leszek Rózga (Poland), Ahlam Shibli (Palestine), Killu Sukmit (Estonia), Sophia Süßmilch (Germany), Jaan Toomik (Estonia), Oksana Tralla-Anger (Estonia), Kata Tranker (Hungary), Marta Vaarik (Estonia), Veronika Vallimäe (Estonia) and Del LaGrace Volcano (USA)

Who is Afraid of Motherhood? will remain open until April 25, 2027.

Curator: Eda Tuulberg
Artist-designer: Flo Kasearu
Graphic design: Brit Pavelson
Technical support: Tõnis Medri and Tõnu Narro
Coordinator: Magdaleena Maasik