New paintings by Pittsburgh-born, Seattle-based artist Erin Milez (previously featured here). Recently on display at Monya Rowe Gallery, Milez’s latest body of work continues to examine motherhood and the complex physical and psychological changes that accompany it. Milez likens her own feelings of metamorphosis to writer Lucy Jones’s concept of “chimera” in her book Matrescence, which explores the idea that motherhood and pregnancy fundamentally alter one’s identity to the extent that they are never a “singular” being again. Tetsuya Ishida’s work similarly addresses the dehumanizing transformation of labouring tasks, while Amy Adams’ character in Nightbitch literally turns into a dog in response to the demands of creation and mothering.
In Milez’s paintings, the labour of parenting is displayed in a way that emphasizes both the mundanity and monstrosity of family life. While conflicted and chaotic, the images also convey a sense of intimacy. There is something reassuring and even beautiful in the acknowledgement that raising children perfectly or gracefully is nothing more than a chimeric dream.
