Brenda Danbrook: A Way Of Knowing MFA Graduate Exhibition

Brenda Danbrook: A Way of Knowing
1 December to 9 December 2018

An exhibition that references my experience as a woman and mother in the context of domestic space. My sculptures explore the idea of female presence and empowerment, through acts of maternal care and labour, to celebrate the practice of feminist mothering.

This series began with an obsessive practice as a labourer, but explores my identity as a mother and artist, through the lens of “women’s work. Growing up in the 1970s I was taught to use my hands productively through the model of my mother’s actions. Craft and domestic practices such as cooking, sewing, and pottery set the foundation for my love of all materials and the joy of making art.

Through the process of developing of A Way of Knowing, I use the work of my hands to offer an intimate female connection by making my labour visible in physical forms. For that purpose, I utilized materials such as clay, fabric, and paper to build, repair, or connect two things. These actions afford the connection to my mother’s history as a maternal subject, and offer a metaphorical thread to honour a feminist motherline.