ARTISTS STATEMENT
“Baby Panic” is a quilt that captures the complex emotions women experience when contemplating starting a family, exploring societal pressures, biological realities, and personal anxieties. The feelings of yearning—often described as “baby fever”—are exaggerated through the use of saccharine nursery prints, baby shower trinkets, and two soft, pillow-like hearts. Incorporated into the quilt are symbols such as images of eggs, the cover of The Yellow Wallpaper, a still from Rosemary’s Baby, an egg being fertilized, and the ages 21-29—each representing the societal expectations placed on women’s minds and bodies. I aimed to create a quilt that invites viewers in while subtly revealing the duality of the desire for motherhood alongside the fear of being unready. This tension is underscored by the overwhelming pressures to conform to societal norms, the fear of losing one’s sense of freedom, the possibility of postpartum depression, and the haunting potential of infertility. It also reflects the frustration of navigating a landscape where women’s bodies are often shrouded in mystery, yet heavily regulated by external forces, such as government policies. The quilt includes an audio element—a hidden voice recorder that loops Opus No. 1 by Tim Carleton, a piece typically used as hold music for businesses. This music, with its repetitive, almost oppressive quality, poses a question: “When, if ever, will you have a baby?” It is a question I often hear myself, and one that many women ask themselves as they confront the ticking of their biological clocks and the expectations placed upon them.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Genesis Moreno (she/her) (b. 1991, Illinois) is a Miami-based artist whose practice centers on quilting as a medium to explore themes of memory, sentimentality, and the human impulse to collect. Through the language of craft, her work delves into both personal and universal narratives, examining the emotional resonance of objects and the connections we forge with them. Genesis received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017. Her recent exhibitions include “Everything Ends Eventually” at Latchkey Gallery in New York City and “#ItsSoTragic” at Touché Boutique in Miami. She has also participated in the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild Residency in Woodstock, NY.
© Genesis Moreno