Portrait of The Obstetric Patient

H 45cm W55cm D 40cm

Steel, Paint.

This work gives form to theories of consciousness and the shifting boundaries of knowledge at the beginning of motherhood.

When a woman has a general anaesthetic for a caesarean section, her eyes are taped shut. The act becomes symbolic of submission to the unknown, beyond present understanding. She is carried towards delivery in an enforced state of unconsciousness, yet still present.

Through gesture, the piece explores resolve, exposure, and vulnerability.

A century ago, Virginia Woolf wrote, “Across the broad continent of a woman’s life falls the shadow of a sword.” This reference is embedded in the work through its casting from melted-down surgical instruments.

In steel, the patient’s hair cap looks like a helmet. There’s a bravery to motherhood, along with all the love and beauty.