How Annie Wang challenged the conventional expectations of motherhood

It’s October 2000 and the artist Annie Wang’s body goes through unexpected, significant changes. Her belly swells with life and an uncomfortable pregnancy ensues. At the same time, the Taiwanese artist is studying for a PhD in fine art at the University of Brighton. For Annie, this is the start of a long investigation into the relationship between motherhood and the role of an artist. On the surface, the premise of Annie’s best-known work The Mother as a Creator is simple. Every few years, she takes a photograph – candidly lit, black and white, neutral facial expression – documenting the passing of time as her son grows from foetus to teenager. In each one, the previous portrait can be seen on the wall behind, a time vortex bearing a reminder of the person that came before. A lingering question mark symbolising Annie’s initial thought which kicked off the project: “Would I be able to prove that it was difficult or even possible to be an artist during motherhood?”

Across the series of 11 photographs, the whole story may appear evident but on the contrary, there are layers to the project which explore the gendered expectations of Taiwanese women, the depiction of motherhood and what it means, and what is or what is not a suitable subject in Western academic art. In light of two new shows exhibiting Mother as a Creator, Annie tells us about the ongoing 21-year-old (and counting) project and how it, she explains, “prompted me to use visual art to explore the issues surrounding my pregnant body, motherhood and my culture.” A selection of the series is currently at the Daegu Photography Biennale in South Korea as well as showing at London’s Huxley-Parlour from now until mid-October.

Previously, Annie had ignored all these things. For one, motherhood wasn’t a topic that flowed freely in her circles and then, when she did think about it, she felt the archetype of the selfless mother posed a threat to the unbridled creativity she hoped to achieve as a Taiwanese artist. The more she thought about it, she pondered the differing routes ahead of her. On one hand, there were the Taiwanese artists who’d given up their creative lives to take care of their children. On the other, she contemplated the opposite: the role of an artist which prioritised the work as opposed to the offspring. In the end, she came to a compromise, a happy medium that meant doing both while “striving to experience, to venture, to question, to research or to challenge the conventional expectations of motherhood.”

The supervisor’s point of view was clear: “She indicated that, from her experience, people would seldom be interested in me and my story about motherhood.” Annie being a Taiwanese woman exploring the subject in the context of white patriarchal society, that is. Instead, she was advised to find a “sharper” issue, something deemed more powerful or extraordinary by society. Annie lost her confidence in turn, and though it took a while, she eventually found a supervisor who supported her unique point of view and the beauty of the subject that she was experiencing so acutely. With this new supervisor, Dr. Chris Mullen, Annie was able to plunge headfirst into the tangled threads of identity. She unpicked the myth of the selfless Taiwanese mother, comparing it to the fullness and the complexity of the artist self, and how indeed the two could be mutually intertwined.

In her PhD thesis, Annie also points out of the work: “I only adopt the narrow definitions of a mother and motherhood so that I may explore a woman’s specific maternal experience and relationship with her children, starting with the biologically female body in the human world. I do this because the experience of the maternal body is extremely profound, complex and personal for a mother and it is hard to explain it to a man or indeed anyone who has no experience of it.” Beyond the biological definition of motherhood, she also looks to the idea of a mother in traditional Taiwanese culture.

Over the years – 21 to be precise – the project evolved, deepening as did the tender relationship between mother and son. The near-annual photographic traditions brought Annie and her son closer, “because we often need to recall, review and revise” both the past and future in order to make a new image. As the series progresses, we see a child grow from an unborn baby to a fully grown young man in just a few clicks. The foreground is littered with objects that provide a glimpse into the mother and son’s wider lives. We see toys, Christmas trees, painting rollers, record players and books come and go with the years, building a bigger picture of the interests that come into play as an artist makes her way in the world while her son discovers language, music, drawing, eventually leaving home to find his own path in life like his mother before him.

The Mother As a Creator not only encapsulates a moving coming-of-age relationship for the viewer, it also stands testament that an artist can fulfil their sense of self while maintaining a good and meaningful relationship with their child. In this way, the series reframes motherhood, importantly, from a Taiwanese perspective. The 21-year-long project has helped Annie break through her doubts. Step by step and photograph by photograph, she now collaborates with her son to build the work together, discussing the important things in life and what they individually want to present in each photograph. “I have explored the creativity of motherhood which enriches my art, I couldn’t have imagined this at the beginning of doing the project,” she finally goes on to say. “I experience the power of time, creativity and photography. However, I do feel sad about the time flying.”