Hanna Isseyegh 

Everybody has had the experience of being and coming from the womb of a mother. Many people have also been mothered, and most have seen mothering take place, some have mothered themselves. So why is the maternal experience shrouded in mystery? Why is the maternal experience marginalised? These questions are addressed in this thesis by exploring how maternal experience is being explored in contemporary Irish art practice. It contextualises the maternal experience in relation to Ireland’s history, while also drawing upon semiformal interviews conducted with artists Aideen Barry and Jesse Jones. These interviews, conducted over Zoom, were guided by the questions above. The findings from the primary research are interwoven with theoretical secondary research, alongside my observations and analysis of the artworks. A discussion on the ways in which systems of power have been used to control women's bodies within maternal experience are linked with an analysis of how shame has affected maternal experience within Ireland. Maternal representation and experience are discussed through the framework of feminist theory, and this is linked with the practice of contemporary Irish artist Aideen Barry’s performative film Enshrined and Jesse Jones’ multimedia installation Tremble Tremble. All research is viewed through a lens of sociological and feminist art theory and art history. During my research, a link with contemporary art practice and strategies of activism became apparent leading to a new line of enquiry. Penultimately the position of maternal art practice within the canon of contemporary art is established.