Mother (2020)

Being close to my friend who has become a mother, I can observe the strong and loving bond between her and her baby, the absolute dedication to caring for this little one, tenderness at its highest expression. But also, the tiredness from not having slept for more than three hours straight in months, the repetitive routine that knows no rest, the loneliness, the surrendering of one's body to this little being who depends 100% on the mother, the absolute transformation of one's own body, physical discomfort, others' opinions on whether the body has returned to its pre-pregnancy state or not, whether one is a good mother or not, comparison, boredom, the lack of solidarity from other mothers who are more competing to be the exemplary mom, anguish, pain, fear.

As a witness to this, I see that motherhood is far from what is portrayed to women. It's not all beautiful or satisfying; motherhood is socially romanticized.

These photos are part of the series "Mother" (2020) that I made in collaboration with my friend J., who honestly and courageously shared with me the delights and horrors of being a first-time mother.