A Mother’s Window:

During Covid-19 a fellow South African artist and friend went through a terrifying experience which resulted in the death of his mother. In 2021 on Instagram, he posted an image of his mother’s window. He had gone home to collect things with his sister. The image looked out into the light from a visually dark space. This image, and his story, has inspired a series of artworks called ‘A Mother’s Window’. A series that reflects on a global place of darkness and the importance of looking out, into light, for hope and growth.

This series speaks to the power of memory, roots, place, and nurture that can help us find the light in times of trouble. Through our mother’s window is a reminder that finding

the light often means going back to our roots and to what we have already learnt and with that, finding the strength to ‘go outside’ to where the light is. We all have stories and people of strength that have offered us guidance and ‘mothered’ us so that we can step into the unknown, take chances and light up our world. This body of work is a reminder of that, and a reminder that without the darkness we cannot experience the light.

Papercutting is a process of extraction: starting with one piece of black paper the image is revealed through cutting away. Light is what allows the image to be seen. In the same way we all need to cut away elements of our lives that are no longer needed and for the light to shine through, while remembering and growing from the seed within. In January I asked people on social media to share with me photographs of their ‘Mother’s Window’ – windows in the homes of the people who had given them strength over the years and shared wisdom. I collected a variety of photographs of windows that will be used in this series.

This series of works will be exclusive to the BASA awards and offer 20 unique artworks relating to the theme of A Mother’s Window: Finding the Light.