M/OTHER

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2024

sculpture made of PE cones, tape, steel clamps, bamboo, felt

130 x 130x 200cm

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In “M/Other”, the artist creates a totem that critiques societal expectations while honoring the resilience of caregiving. The cylindrical sculpture, constructed from outward-facing red cones arranged in a rigid, grid-like pattern, embodies the duality of maternal labor: protective yet defensive. Its imposing exterior invites contemplation but resists easy access, reflecting the tension between care as a life-sustaining force and the erasure of individuality that caregiving often entails.

The sculpture also reflects on the relentless nature of caregiving through its repetitive structure—outward-facing cones arranged in a precise grid. This formation symbolizes the monotony and emotional endurance required in caregiving, evoking the sense of an unyielding cycle. The cones, reminiscent of sports training markers, embody the agility, balance, and resilience that caregiving demands. Like a constant training regimen, caregiving is an act of endurance, a delicate juggling of responsibilities that often feels like an obstacle course without pause.

The title M/Other encapsulates the central theme of the work: the mother as both subject and object, central yet "othered" within cultural narratives. In Slovenian culture, where the artist originates, the mother is still celebrated as a cornerstone of familial and societal survival. However, this exaltation comes at a cost, reducing her to a symbol of sacrifice and erasing her humanity. The mother’s labor is mythologized as essential to national identity, yet these unattainable demands render her role isolating and dehumanizing.

Red dominates the sculpture. It reflects the intensity of caregiving and the danger of its systemic invisibility. M/Other is a testament to the contradictions of caregiving: its quiet heroism and its imposed invisibility, its vitality and its toll.