Traditionally in our society motherhood is regarded in high esteem. Being a mother means kind, caring and protective person the qualities typically associated to mothers. But before having the status of a mother a woman has to go through a long journey to become a mother.
Artist Annem Zaidi who is undergoing this immense journey of motherhood herself has painted a series of paintings titled "An Ode to Motherhood", which captured her own experiences of being a mother. One can view the whole journey through the eyes of the artist by going through her paintings in a solo show at Full Circle Gallery, Karachi.
The paintings were a tribute to mothers who went through different emotional and physical changes and experiences in a hope to hold the fruit of their hardships in the form of a child, which will be their future - a bright one.
A woman created a family and to do so she must undergoes the transformation necessary for achieving that goal.
The artist aesthetically depicted the emotional and physical condition of woman by depicting a blur woman figure in black with red fluorescence at the edges of the fem figure so as to outline the image which will help viewer in understanding the theme of the paintings.
She has chosen to paint faceless and blur figures because she was representing all mothers not a particular one thus portraying universal experiences that every mother go through.
The light colour clothes worn by the figures sometimes wrapped around her body along with body gestures also helped in grasping the meaning of the paintings.
There are various stages during motherhood from which a woman passes courageously. That period of time was artistically portrayed by Annem and a viewer can felt the emotional experience a woman goes through while heading towards the end of the journey. Her state of mind and body changes day to day but she adjusted herself with those changes and carry on daily life as usual.
The titles of the paintings in oils revealed the theme effectively to the viewer such as "Confessions in private", "The Primordial Inception", "Holding On", "Infused with Love", "Interlude", "Mortal's Prayer", "Of Imminent Arrivals", "The Nascent Longing", "The Nesting Syndrome", "Undaunted" and "Unmet Promises".
"My work is an ode to motherhood. Through my paintings, I intend to showcase the tremendous dichotomy of sorts, between the emotional self and physical self that every expecting mother experiences, as she carries her child from its initial inception to its final, beginning into this life that we hold so near and dear to our hearts. In my work, I have highlighted a plethora of emotions, ranging from fear and insecurity, to a sense of calm, surrender, and determination, against all odds. I have also celebrated the female body, in all its maternal glory, a beauty so rare, that it can only be found when it gives itself up selflessly and wholly to another being", said Annem Zaidi while elaborating her work.
(The writer can be reached at nadeemzuberi71@gmail.com)