mARTernity: Out of Frame
Artist Name
Małgorzata Gorzelewska-Namiota
Artist Statement
When my children were born, they took over my time and space. Suspended between caregiving and constant service during their early years, and my irresistible need to create, I found in motherhood a source of inspiration. Being a mother evokes in me a full spectrum of emotions—from blissful fulfillment and pure joy, through the fear that comes with responsibility for another human being, to frustration in moments of helplessness. In a world of ideal mothers shaped by social media, I openly admit to failures, mistakes, and imperfect motherhood, without denying my unconditional love for my children. Although I create based on my own experiences and observations, I address universal issues that affect everyone, not just parents. I return to my own childhood to examine its long-term impact on my adult life. I challenge the cultural archetype of the "Polish Mother," showing motherhood as it truly is—with all its routine, exhaustion, and hidden background.I portray my daughter and son as individual beings who resist various external influences, particularly in the field of art education. This is important to me both as a mother and an educator. I often observe their approach to the act of creation with unspoken admiration, treating them as potential viewers of art. I frequently transform old toys into artistic objects, giving them new meaning and allowing myself to speak about the subjects that matter to me most.
Exhibition Statement
This exhibition presents my multi-layered practice working across painting and installation to investigate motherhood, childhood, and intergenerational inheritance as embodied and emotional territories. My work emerges directly from the tension between the profound exhaustion of daily caregiving and my irresistible need to create. I approach motherhood not as a fixed, idealized identity, but as a fluid, shifting condition—one marked by fragmentation, anxiety, and helplessness that coexist with unconditional love. By challenging the cultural archetype of the "Polish Mother" and social media's sanitized ideals, I openly expose the raw routine and fatigue of domestic reality. The featured paintings and installations construct intimate spaces where memory and emotion gain material form through textures, shapes, and spatial relationships. In my practice, childhood appears not as a closed biographical stage, but as a foundational psychic landscape that continuously shapes adult life, desires, and relational patterns. A vital element of this exhibition consists of repurposed old toys. I recontextualize these discarded objects, giving them new, subversive meanings to speak about the subjects that matter to me most. Ultimately, this exhibition creates a safe space to reflect on how personal trauma, love, and resilience are silently transmitted and embodied across generations.
