In recent years, the pregnant figure has been in the spotlight thanks to the bump-baring fashions of celebrities such as Rihanna and Sienna Miller . But the bodies of women after giving birth have yet to experience the same image shift. “Pregnancy is celebrated, but this isn’t so much the case for mothers postpartum,” says Amelie Cazzulino, mum to 16-month-old Gabrielle and founder of postpartum care brand Bare Mum.
Amelie Cazzulino’s breastfeeding daughter, Gabrielle reaches towards a cast of her mother in the exhibition The Wall of Wombs by artist Juliana Monteiro. Credit: Janie Barrett Cazzulino, 34, is speaking on a panel at the opening of The Wall of Wombs , an exhibition highlighting the diverse pathways to motherhood through a series of works created by Sydney-based artist Juliana Monteiro. A cast of Cazzulino’s torso, taken six months postpartum, is featured alongside those of 23 other mothers taken at varying stages – from 13 weeks pregnant all the way through to nine years postpartum.
Each cast is accompanied by audio recordings of mothers recounting their unique experiences. Cazzulino welcomes the celebration of pregnancy via celebrities, but says, “when it comes to postpartum, it’s about quickly putting it away and pretending that it never happened”. She’s hopeful the exhibition challenges preconceptions about motherhood and bodies at a time when they are often rendered invisible.
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