Motherhood as a socially engaged theme in Zvokat Simčič’s visual works

Abstract

Abstract The text discusses the theme of motherhood in visual works by Zvonka T Simčič. The author problematised the (im)possibility of artificial insemination for single women in the utterly innovative performance entitled Doulas “ad utero, ab ovo” (2007), in which she used the image of herself as the pregnant Virgin Mary to present her own experience of insemination, pregnancy and childbirth. In New Allegories [Nove alegorije] (2008, 2009), after her son Adam’s birth, she explored the post-partum period and the role of the single mother as well as the attitude of the state towards single-parent families. In her latest video entitled Silent Power [Tiha moč] (2013), she developed the already highlighted topics further while she also referred to the recently rejected Slovenian Family Code. In her conceptually conceived works, the artist uses – in a performative manner – the symbolism of Christian tradition on the one hand and that of Slovenian folk tradition on the other to lay out her relationship to her own child and the theme of single motherhood. In several works, she presented herself as the Virgin Mary and finally also as Lepa Vida. While the pregnant author carried out the performance Doulas “ad utero, ab ovo” on her own, she has included her son in all her later works featuring the theme of motherhood; hence, this text also problematises the role of the child as the object of artwork.