Eve

There is a duality to being a mother—a constant juxtaposition. On one hand, the love, care, and fierce protection felt is overwhelming. This love carries such purity and intensity that it seems like a radiant light, shattering inner darkness. Yet equally overwhelming is the exhaustion, doubt, frustration, and loss. Motherhood brings a constant sensory overload, a draining of resources and energy with little chance to recharge—often unrecognised by others. Identity blurs as the body becomes surrendered to the needs of the child. The repetition of daily tasks—feeding, nappies, dummies—echoes in the patterned tiles, each motif a reminder of the cyclical routines of care.

Technically, the painting merges figurative realism with expressive distortion, amplifying both tenderness and chaos. The fleshy tones are layered with loose brushwork, leaving traces of vulnerability in their rawness. The overlapping limbs and tilted perspectives create a sense of entanglement, mirroring the physical and emotional intensity of motherhood. The ornamental tiles, rendered in a deliberately flat, patterned rhythm, contrast with the fluidity of the bodies, grounding the work in repetition while emphasizing confinement.

This piece is not a singular statement but a coexistence of truths: love and loss, joy and fatigue, intimacy and overwhelm. The mother is present in both states simultaneously—an image of surrender and resilience, of light and shadow held together in one body.