ARTIST STATEMENT
In “Sh!t I Do”, I composite images staged in my home with digital drawings to highlight the complexities of mothering in a society where power equates to capital and care work remains invisible. Inspired by Sara Ruddick’s “Maternal Thinking (1989)”, which explores how mothering practices are shaped by the socio-political milieu, the ongoing project prompts consideration of the value of motherwork. Using myself as the subject, I depict a mother at work– meeting the viewer’s gaze to insist on acknowledgment of her labor. Some objects in these household scenes are modern “necessities,” while others reflect a bi-cultural home.
The domestic setting may suggest comfort, but deeper consideration is needed. Outfits fashioned with pictures of demonetized Indian Rupees* contextualize the mother’s subjectivity. Electronic devices reflect the omnipresence of technology in modern life, while flowers symbolize young girls coming of age, and hangers and a security alarm highlight concerns for their rights. The lace designs drawn on the outfits are inspired by the household textiles I grew up with, influenced by European techniques introduced during British colonization in India. I incorporate them to reference my cultural history and honor the essential, yet undervalued, labor of the women before me.
Ultimately, my aim is to expand the conversation around women’s lived experiences while challenging cultural stereotypes that portray motherhood as always joyful, fulfilling, and instinctual. *It is now known that India’s 2016 demonetization of ₹500 and ₹1,000 bills disproportionately impacted women, especially those lacking financial autonomy and relying on cash savings.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Shweta Bist (b. 1980) is a lens-based artist born in New Delhi, India and currently working and living in New York. Her photographic work is an exploration of the psychological and emotional landscapes of motherhood and womanhood through personal narrative. Drawing from her interests in psychology, philosophy, and art history, she constructs images using metaphors of color and symbolism, and often works in collaboration with her two daughters. Shweta is a postgraduate in commerce from Delhi University, India, and an alumna of the School of Visual Arts Continuing Education, New York. In addition to exhibitions in the United States, Canada, and the UK, she has made presentations at academic and art conferences on (M)other Studies in the US and UK. Shweta is an artist mentor with Spilt Milk Gallery, Edinburgh, and is a co-founder of Mother Creatrix Collective, a New York-based egalitarian collective of artist-mothers who support each other’s work through critiques, collaborations, and the creation of exhibition opportunities.
© Shweta Bist