Social Art “Between a mother and an artist”(1)
“Between a mother and an artist” is a social art project currently in progress. Through my activities as an artist and a mother, I, Ekotumi, will explore over the course of three years whether it is possible to balance motherhood with an artistic career, and if not, why not. If it is possible, under what circumstances can this balance be achieved? I will reflect on these questions through my interactions with society.
The Inspiration Behind the Project
Tracy Emin once said:
“There are great artists who have children. Of course there are. They are called men.”
After experiencing recurrent miscarriages due to a condition known as the recurrent pregnancy loss, I finally carried a pregnancy to full term and gave birth *. This long journey gave me enough time to ponder the question, “Should I really have a child?” Two obvious questions surfaced: “Will I still be able to create art as I did before childbirth?” and “Will it be possible for me to continue performing internationally?” These are just a couple of the many questions I asked myself. Nevertheless, the joy of carrying life inside me, even for just a few weeks, was a happiness that surpassed anything I had ever known. I became convinced that this new experience would serve as invaluable inspiration for my art, and I firmly believed I was meant to have this child. However, I remain uncertain whether I can truly balance being a mother and being an artist. Still, by observing each postpartum activity as a separate event, and by reviewing the entire three-year period from a broader perspective, I hope to gain some insight into what that balance might look like.
l Reference : NFT artwork “ Maternity Eternity “
https://ekotumi.medium.com/nft-artwork-maternity-eternity-01-43849f61f2bb
Through my activities, I hope to share the obstacles I’ve encountered and the support I’ve received, so we can collectively reflect on whether this society is truly a sustainable environment for humans — an animal species with the inherent trait of raising children. Can we raise new life, governed by our most primal instincts, while continuing to engage in the deeply human endeavor of creating art? I would be grateful if you would join me in considering these questions.
The Creation Period
From birth to age three.
Since my daughter’s abilities are changing rapidly with each passing month, I don’t yet know what three years will look like. However, I see age three, the typical age at which children enter kindergarten (and thus, a kind of educational institution), as a milestone. The creation period may be adjusted depending on the actual circumstances.
The Initial Goal for the Project
I first conceived of this project before giving birth, and at that time, I envisioned setting a clear “goal” by which we could evaluate whether or not it is possible to balance motherhood and an artistic career. For example, a vague goal could be something like, “I raised a good child” or “I continued to create art and performed abroad regularly.” The aim was to determine, together with the audience, whether these goals were achieved.
However, after giving birth, I realized that there is no such thing as success or failure in child-rearing (I don’t mean about issues such as abuse and neglect in here). For instance, what does it mean to raise a “good” child? Might the pursuit of such a goal lead to raising a child who is convenient for the parents, one who listens and obeys? Is it even necessary for every child to grow up to be “good”? I don’t want to accept such a disturbingly sterile world. Faced with these questions, I decided to abandon the idea of setting a clear “goal.”
What This Project Aims to Achieve
Rather than establishing an easily defined “goal,” I hope to reflect on my entire body of work as Ekotumi to explore whether it is possible to balance being a mother and being an artist. If it is not possible, why not? If it is possible, in what cases can it be achieved? Together with you, the audience, I wish to examine the way society functions.
The Positioning of This Project
Each activity within this project represents an ongoing attempt to balance performance art, musical concerts, tours to foreign contries, and daily childcare. However, when viewed from a broader perspective, this project takes on the role of social art. At the same time, from the viewpoint of reconsidering the role of women in society, it can also be positioned as feminist art.
Furthermore, if you choose to share your personal experiences and the emotions that arise from them in the comments during the course of this project, I anticipate that we will mutually influence each other. In this sense, the project could also evolve into dialogical social art in the broader sense, fostering an interactive exchange.
The Purpose of This Project
In Japan especially, personal thoughts and feelings are often influenced by an intangible social atmosphere. As a result, considerations related to childbirth and child-rearing are often shaped more by societal perceptions and images than by the realities of individuals. Many of us, myself included, live bound by these assumptions. Through this project, I hope that we can rethink the nature of childbirth and child-rearing, and, through this reflection, reconsider the structure of society. Even if it’s just a small change, I hope this project contributes to societal transformation.
