Shelflife & Motherhood, 2021

20x screen print on mdf, 30 x 22,5 x 33 cm, Euro-pallet

Non Stop (avgangsutstilling), Tou Ølhallene, Stavanger, Norway

Photos: Helle Navratil

Shelflife & Motherhood, 2021

20x screen print on mdf, 30 x 22,5 x 33 cm, Euro-pallet

Non Stop (avgangsutstilling), Tou Ølhallene, Stavanger, Norway

Mutti is German for mom. In the German language the nickname ‘Mutti’ is old fashioned and negatively loaded. It conveys a picture of an old-fashioned housewife who devotes her life to her children and husband in a traditional family setup within a patriarchal society. Mutti manages the family, runs the household and bakes the cake for the community cake sale. Mutti remembers birthdays and buys gift wrap. Mutti changes sheets and turns socks inside out. Mutti cares. Mutti can do it. Mutti is always available, always on offer, always reduced.

Through its appropriation the Mutti food can has become a tool for me to investigate roles in families and society structures. Since becoming a mother myself I’ve been exploring the interplay between expectations and freedoms of women in motherhood. 

Photos: Helle Navratil