London-based digital sculptor Rayvenn D’Clark has created a monument to a transformative but often overlooked stage of motherhood – postpartum. There is a deliberate tension between the artist’s raw, bronze-cast depiction of an incredibly messy time of life – big pants, sore nipples, unwashed hair – and the military memorials that normally get the foundry treatment.
“For many, bronze denotes hierarchy due to its permanence and durability. That is the legacy of bronze,” D’Clark tells Broadsheet.
The woman depicted in Mother Vérité is an amalgamation of postpartum mothers from all walks of life that the artist worked with during the early stages of the project. D’Clark created 3D scans of each semi-nude subject, then digitally combined them into a single “everywoman”. Racially ambiguous, combining scans of women from a range of backgrounds, and still bearing all the hallmarks of a post-birth body (swelling, stretch marks and a tired slump), she challenges both beauty ideals and the sexualisation of the female form.
Unlike the standard female nude, postpartum bodies seem to have been deliberately hidden from view in art and popular culture. Think back to Kate Middleton posing for the obligatory new-baby photo with the then-unnamed Prince George on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital. Her small postpartum pouch created headlines around the world. Yet any woman who has given birth, or been around a new mother, knows that it can take months for the pregnancy bump to fully contract.
While D’Clark is not a mother herself, she drew on the experiences of friends and family members, as well as her many collaborators, when envisioning this project. “I have learned a great deal about not only the capabilities of women’s bodies but also the physical, emotional and psychological changes that occur well into the fourth trimester,” she explains. “I felt it was essential that the artwork served as a moment of education for the wider public, as we all have mothers who have had similar experiences and this deserves recognition.”
As recently as 2021, an Art UK Sculpture survey found that of the roughly 1500 monuments in London, 20.5 per cent were dedicated to named men but only four per cent to named women. D’Clark adds that “there is a shocking lack of sculptures across the city that are dedicated to women of colour. There are more statues of men named John than of all named women combined.” Her aim is to work towards redressing that balance, creating a public artwork that women and people of colour will see themselves reflected in.
Mother Vérité by Rayvenn D’Clark was commissioned by Chelsea Hirschhorn, founder of baby and parenting brand Frida. It was unveiled on October 9 at Portman Square Garden W1H, where it will be on display until October 21, before touring.
