In order to continue working, women artists have not only had to resist the external attitude that their lives are not the stuff of art, but at the same time deal with the pain and guilt of being torn in two (R. Power, The Divided Heart).

Four Squared is an exhibition by four artist-mothers and their experiences of making art amongst the chaos of raising young children. The experience of being a mother is also the subject of their art - what the artists describe as the push & pull of motherhood, domesticity and creativity. It is work created on an emotional rollercoaster, while burning the midnight oil, with the use of favors from friends, with the constant awareness of laundry to be done.

Unknowingly, each artist has contributed to negating the burning question posed by poet Alice Ostriker - why has motherhood been ruled out as a valid theme of art?...(It) is, after all, an immersion in the real stuff of life...a privileged position from which to encounter both the smallest, most nuanced interactions of daily life, and the most profound questions about the nature of existence (The Divided Heart).

From quite disparate backgrounds but all currently residing in Savannah, Georgia, the artists in Four Squared, Linette Dubois, Melinda Schawel, Atsuko Smith and Ashley Waldvogel, give us a glimpse into the real stuff of life.

http://foursquared.wordpress.com

Melinda Schawel

Motherhood encompasses so much more than I ever imagined. My fellow co-exhibitor and friend Ashley Waldvogel sums it up beautifully - inshort, it is the vain attempt at being all things to all people. We are the givers of life, the nurturers, the cleaners, the cooks, chauffeurs, teachers, volunteers, organisers and gift-givers. The million and one things we accomplish in a day will most likely go unnoticed and by the time we claw back a little part of ourselves, we’ll feel nostalgic for the times the children cried out for us in the middle of the night and squealed with joy when we entered a room.

It’s not long, however, before the attempt at being all things to all people starts to feel more like an expectation, oftentimes self imposed. The works for 4 Squared are a reminder of the struggle to be the perfect mother, and my own private rebellion against these internal and external expectations. They are about the reality of what it actually takes to perform countless selfless acts while retaining some sense of creative self. They refer to motherhood not as a quest for perfection but rather a recognition and acceptance of our imperfections.

My source materials are old greeting cards filled with standardized sentimentality, printed on multi-coloured, floral papers and garnished with foil, ribbons and lace. Bits of paper and material are preserved, other bits are dirtied or scraped away through a process of collage, painting and sanding. The results are unpredictable and far from perfect, not dissimilar to the challenging roles that women have always filled as mother, wife/partner, and individual.