In 2024, I was fortunate to be invited to create a series of work in response to Ron Mueck's work "Pregnant Woman", on loan to Maitland Regional Gallery from the NGV. From online media:

Kaurna Adelaide artist Jess Taylor presents us with a perspective on motherhood and pregnancy that is complex and open hearted. Her own personal challenges with motherhood can be seen in these works, capturing a range of emotions – feelings of entrapment, possession and frustration sit alongside love, joy, and empowerment. Here the artist challenges the idealised notion of the ‘good mother’, presenting motherhood in its full complexity.

Jess Taylor is also responding to the sometimes overwhelming burden of motherhood – the increasingly ‘public’ nature of a women’s body during pregnancy and the often unsolicited opinions and societal pressures endured during this time.

Using botanical symbols, the artist explores the intertwining of new life with the complexities of our own bodies, highlighting the psychological depth of nurturing something precious within.

'Mother Lode' is the second in a series of four artwork commissions initiated by MRAG to disrupt and respond to Ron Mueck’s incredible ‘Pregnant Woman’ sculpture, which is currently on long-term display.

Photos courtesy Leighsa Cox and MRAG