Artist statement

Hidden Mother is a photographic project that explores the visibility of

motherhood, and the tensions between care, identity, and societal expectations. The series takes its name and conceptual foundation from 19th-century portrait photography, where mothers were physically hidden under fabrics while holding their children still during long exposure times. Though essential to the image, the mother was not meant to be seen. I use this historical practice as a metaphor for how motherhood continues to be shaped and often constrained by cultural norms and visual traditions. Through my photographs, I ask: when is a mother allowed to be visible? And what kind of visibility is acceptable? The project blends staged portraiture with documentary sensitivity. I work collaboratively with mothers, including myself, to create images that speak to both personal experience and broader social narratives. I am interested in how motherhood intersects with professional identity, autonomy, and the pressure to perform or conceal certain roles. Hidden Mother is not about disappearance, but about reclaiming presence about making visible the complexity, strength, and contradictions within the maternal experience. It is a visual and conceptual space where the mother is no longer hidden, but seen and heard on her own terms.