ARTISTIC MATERNAL ECHOES

Tracey Emin. *The Mother*. Foto: Istvan Virag / KUNSTDOK

When I think of the word "echo" in art, I envision artworks that evoke a sense of awakening, discovery, and offer a deeper insight. These artworks speak to us, repeating their message in our minds, drawing us back to them, like the resonance of an echo.

Art in public spaces is something special. It's there for everyone to see, touch, and engage with. What captivates me the most is the potential for increased interaction. You can stay as long as you want and return whenever you like. You are the echo, coming back because of the frequency between you and the artwork.

Over the past year, I've been drawn to three public sculptures in Oslo. They have a few things in common – they're large, they're feminine, and they were created by renowned female artists. Each of them has formed a unique connection with me, and I naturally find myself visiting them regularly as part of my daily life in Oslo.

Tracey Emin - The Mother

The first sculpture that comes to mind is The Mother by artist Tracey Emin, a nine-meter-tall bronze sculpture located at Inger Munch Pier in front of the Munch Museum. Emin, a contemporary half English half Turkish artist, is celebrated for her brutally honest and personal artworks. The Mother portrays a kneeling woman holding onto something very dear. She is bulky and imperfect, but somehow very beautiful and harmonious, sitting in a flower meadow turning her back to the museum while facing the Norwegian fjord and landscape. This establishes a pure bond between the sculpture and nature, just like how our mothers are the true nature of our existence.

The Mother immediately connected with me on my first encounter. I was amazed by the large scale, and I loved how it was both figurative and abstract at the same time. It gave me time to contemplate the sculpture without attaching a definite meaning to it. It is quite poetic, making no one uncomfortable, but is instead naturally drawing people towards itself with a unique feminine energy, creating spiritual comfort, just like a mother would. From a young age Emin has been inspired and fascinated by Munch, influencing her choice to become an artist. The Mother serves as Emin's connection to Munch's spirit while symbolically guarding the place of his life's work, offering a gift in memory of the mother he lost at the age of five, the same year his sister Inger was born.[1]

What's intriguing about this sculpture is that you can almost sense Tracey Emin's fingerprints. She initially made a small clay model that barely resembled a mother. Then, it was enlarged into this monumental symbol of motherhood, a bold and remarkable transformation. The sculpture embodies how women for a long time have been depicted in a sexual, visually pleasing way, for the sole purpose of satisfying the male gaze. This depicted mother is supposed to be rather old and is created for a non-sexualized context, even though she is naked. It is an homage to the women who have given birth to us, and the body that therefore is transformed in a non-idealistic way. This creates a clear feminist dimension in our time of living, and underlines Emin’s position as a female artist and feminist icon in her career. It is a sculpture about women, for women, created by a woman.[2]

Louise Bourgeois - Maman

I’d like to mention the world-famous monumental spider sculpture, created by pioneer French artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010). It was on display to the public during the summer at the Royal Palace in Oslo, alongside the "Louise Bourgeois: Imaginary Conversations" exhibition at the National Gallery. Maman measures approximately ten by ten meters and is made of steel, bronze and marble. It stands on eight legs and carries a sack containing 32 eggs.[3] The artist, Louise Bourgeois, is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, known for her dark and challenging art associated to sexual abuse, and her difficult relationship with her mother.

One summer day, as I strolled through the Royal Palace Park, I came across the massive spider sculpture. At first, I was frightened as it lurked in the shadows. From a distance, it didn't appear enormous, but as I walked closer, I felt smaller and smaller with each step. Standing beneath it, I could almost sense the spider's protective presence, which transformed my initial fear into a sense of empowerment. It was like an echoing sensation, pushing me away and then pulling me back in, resonating at a different frequency.

At the official unveiling of Louise Bourgeois’ monumental sculpture, Her Majesty the Queen spoke:

Mother – mom – maman’ is one of the most complex psychological motifs in our lives, and therefore, it's also a beloved and inexhaustible theme in art throughout the ages. It delves into where we come from, what has shaped us, and what we pass on to our own children and those who come after us.[4]

Given Louise Bourgeois’ difficult relationship with her mother, the spider is undoubtedly a personal artwork. The spider is associated with female maternal activities like spinning, weaving, nurturing and protecting. But at the same time, it evokes a sense of danger. Spiders capture and immobilize its prey by wrapping it in silk threads before consuming it, inflicting a slow and torturous death on the victim. Louise’s spider could symbolize the overprotective mother that almost engulfs her children in a suffocating mind game of control and guilt. The maternal figure, in a universal context, is often praised, untouched and sacred. Few of us openly share the deep emotional wounds caused by our mothers, almost as if they are shielded and immune to criticism. Can Louise Bourgeois’ work depict the darker aspects of the maternal figure? Most of us fear spiders, and some of us fear our own mothers, so why shouldn’t we fear Maman?

Niki de Saint Phalle - L’oiseaux Amoureux Fontaine

The last sculpture I would like to discuss is L’oiseaux Amoureux Fontaine by Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002), a French American artist known for her body-positive sculptures. This piece is placed in Ekebergparken, a Norwegian sculpture park. Saint Phalle's work is deeply personal and symbolic, focusing on creating art in dialogue with an audience.

My first introduction to Saint Phalle's art was at Henie Onstad's retrospective exhibition. Initially, I found it extravagant, perhaps even a bit too exaggerated in its feminist approach. However, during a walk through Ekeberg's sculpture park with my friend Benedicte, we stumbled upon one of her sculptures in a natural setting. There, I found it beautiful and captivating. Witnessing the sculpture in this liberated, independent state highlighted the fascinating impact of surroundings and placement in public art.

I also appreciate that the sculpture releases water daily from 11:00 AM to 5:30 PM, with intervals of twice per hour, each lasting five minutes. These water sculptures are charming and encourage interaction. Once, Benedicte and I even used it to wash our feet after having done some stretching exercises. It's a nurturing statue, echoing motherly generosity through its colors, forms, and flowing water.

There is something majestic about the sculpture. Its motif leaves room for interpretation. A giant bird’s body is stretching its wings, seemingly freeing itself from the weight of existence. However, it carries something heavy, resembling a child, firmly attached and forming a unity. This evokes thoughts of women who embrace motherhood, holding onto their little ones for years. Suddenly you bear the responsibility of another life, one as precious as your own, if not more so. Your life changes completely and you're no longer just navigating the world for yourself; you're living for two.

Birds, symbolizing freedom, are a prevalent theme in Saint Phalle's work, reflecting her own pursuit of freedom in both life and art. She once shared her fascination with birds, describing them as free and spiritual beings.[5] Does this sculpture echo the unspoken sentiments of feeling confined by the role of maternity? The child is substantial and weighs heavily on the bird. Is it preparing to take flight, or is it protecting its child by spreading its wings? As Saint Phalle put it, her aim was to explore the various roles women are expected to play in society, from birthing and nurturing to the complex roles of devotion and partnership.[6] The sculpture, vibrant and bright, evokes a sense of positivity, and the bird appears strong and capable of bearing the weight of both.

Maternal instinct

These sculptures, all created by acclaimed female artists, center on themes of motherhood, responsibility, and nature. They share common traits of size, height, and being set in nature.

Niki de Saint Phalle's L’oiseaux Amoureux Fontaine radiates energy and positivity. With its colorful, flowing forms and water, it symbolizes motherly generosity and the challenges of motherhood. Louise Bourgeois’ Maman invokes feelings of danger and protection, amazement, and wonder. It represents a complex psychological motif related to maternal instincts. Tracey Emin’s The Mother embodies protective motherly energy and has become an iconic presence in Oslo's cityscape, offering stability and comfort.

These deeply personal artworks connect with all of us, as we all have or have had a mother-figure, longing for their love and care. Artists, in their sensitivity, express what many struggle to articulate. Each sculpture encourages interpretation, enriching our collective human experience while fostering individual reflections. Public art acts as a bridge between the artist's vision and how we, the viewers, interpret it, making it an influential and lasting form of expression in the public sphere.

Literature

[1] Xavier Hufkens. “Tracey Emin’s The Mother to be unveiled in Oslo this June”. 15.10.2023. https://www.xavierhufkens.com/news/tracey-emins-the-mother-to-be-unveiled-in-oslo-this-june

[2] Munch Museet. “The Mother at Inger Munch’s pier”. 17.10.2023. https://www.munchmuseet.no/en/about/the-mother-at-inger-munchs-pier/

[3] Kongehuset. “Louise Bourgeois’ skultpur Maman vises i Slottsparken”. 28.02.2023. https://www.kongehuset.no/artikkel.html?tid=217850&sek=112472

[4] The Royal House of Norway. “Unveiling of Maman in the Palace Park”. 24.04.2023. https://www.royalcourt.no/tale.html?tid=218617&sek=28409&scope=27248

[5] Henie Onstad. “Nikki de Saint Phalle inntar Høvikodden”. 07.10.2023. https://www.hok.no/art-channel/fra-oslo-til-hovikodden-niki-de-saint-phalle-inntar-hovikodden

[6] Ekebergparken. “Niki De Saint Phalle – L’Oiseau Amoureux Fontaine”. 08.10.2023. https://ekebergparken.com/en/kunst/loiseau-amoureux-fontaine

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