Kumu exhibition explores the questions surrounding parenthood

Kumu’s international group exhibition “Who’s Afraid of Motherhood?” examines parenthood through contemporary art, ERR reports. The works are mostly based on artists’ personal experiences and explore the contradictions and challenges of caring for children, as well as its sources of joy.

The exhibition begins outside the Kumu art museum, where 15 strollers have been placed. Curator Eda Tuulberg said public discussion of motherhood often seemed normative and one-sided, failing to reflect the realities of the experience. She said the exhibition uses artists’ personal stories to show how differently motherhood can be understood.

Tuulberg said the exhibition treats motherhood not as a gender-based category but more broadly as a relationship between a caregiver and the person receiving care. It explores how personal experiences of parenthood are shaped by unequal social expectations.

The themes include fears about how to maintain a sense of oneself after a new person enters one’s life and how to manage the responsibility. The exhibition also addresses voluntary childlessness, reproductive rights and reproductive health, including the distinction between choosing not to have children and being unable to do so by choice.

Hungarian artist Gideon Horváth said the subject was relevant to him as a gay man living in Budapest, where starting a family was a current concern. He described care as a global issue and noted that non-heteronormative families are often addressed in contemporary art, theatre and other media.

The exhibition is open in Kumu’s main hall until the end of April. Workshops, discussions, a conference and a performance will consider motherhood, fatherhood and care more broadly.