Mother Drag

2024

Photo print on acrylic glass

80 x 120 cm

Hannah Kindler’s photo series uses strategies of Drag performance exploring the question of who this heavily pregnant body is, can be, or wants to be. The series arose from the desire to reclaim representations of women and to define themes such as “femininity”, “pregnancy” and “motherhood” in a self-determined way. Classical depictions of women* are examined and a universe of historically influenced figures such as Mary, muses, goddesses, or comic heroines. Although colourful, these depictions can have a disturbing effect on the viewer as these images create a rupture from the romanticised portrayal of mothers* and pregnant women* as they are often depicted in the mainstream. Although the works may appear colorful and cheerful at first glance, these representations can carry a deep ambivalence that consciously breaks with the highly romanticized notion of mothers* and pregnant individuals*. In the context of “On the Horizon: Care,” the triptych takes up the idea of the Not-There-Yet from the exhibition text: Through queer-feminist artistic works like those of Hannah Kindler, a world can be imagined where rigid gender roles are dismantled, and care is distributed equitably—yet this work also continually reminds us of how far we still are from the horizon of queer care.

Mother Drag

2024

Photo print on acrylic glass

80 x 120 cm

Hannah Kindler’s photo series uses strategies of Drag performance exploring the question of who this heavily pregnant body is, can be, or wants to be. The series arose from the desire to reclaim representations of women and to define themes such as “femininity”, “pregnancy” and “motherhood” in a self-determined way. Classical depictions of women* are examined and a universe of historically influenced figures such as Mary, muses, goddesses, or comic heroines. Although colourful, these depictions can have a disturbing effect on the viewer as these images create a rupture from the romanticised portrayal of mothers* and pregnant women* as they are often depicted in the mainstream. Although the works may appear colorful and cheerful at first glance, these representations can carry a deep ambivalence that consciously breaks with the highly romanticized notion of mothers* and pregnant individuals*. In the context of “On the Horizon: Care,” the triptych takes up the idea of the Not-There-Yet from the exhibition text: Through queer-feminist artistic works like those of Hannah Kindler, a world can be imagined where rigid gender roles are dismantled, and care is distributed equitably—yet this work also continually reminds us of how far we still are from the horizon of queer care.