Published 17 February 2026 in Insights
Iziko Museums of South Africa
Mother/Other: Art, Care and the Maternal Imagination Public Symposium
Iziko South African National Gallery - ANNEXE
80 Saint Johns Road, Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa
Tuesday 17 February 2026, 9:30 - 15:30
Motherhood: Paradox and Duality serves as the starting point for this one-day symposium exploring motherhood and mothering as cultural, political and creative forces. Moving beyond biology or domesticity, Mother/Other brings together artists, curators, writers and thinkers to reflect on care, kinship, labour and imagination in contemporary art and life. Through panel discussions and participatory moments, the symposium opens space for collective reflection on the maternal as a site of resistance, creativity and transformation.
Panel 1
Parenting, Privilege and the Future of Inclusive Art Economies
9:30 – 11:00
This panel examines parenting and caregiving as a lens through which to understand structural inequality in the visual arts. Drawing on local and international perspectives, speakers ask how care is made invisible in cultural labour - and what is at stake for the sustainability and inclusivity of the art world if this continues.
Moderator: Lara Koseff
Speakers: Sascia Bailer, Nina Barnett, Rory Emmett, Nontobeko Ntombela & Penny Siopis.
Panel 2
Mothering as Radical: Collective Care and Kinship
11:30 – 13:00
Reframing mothering beyond the nuclear family, this roundtable explores queer, chosen and communal forms of care. Mothering is positioned as a political and creative practice rooted in interdependence, mutual aid and sustainable living.
Moderator: Dee Marco
Speakers: Bev Butkow, Sharlene Khan, Zayaan Khan, Manyaku Mashilo & Maneo Mohale.
Lunch and Refreshments
13:00 – 14:00
Interactive Installation: The House of Complaints by Dee Marco
A participatory space for sharing frustrations, joys and confessions around care, mothering and domestic labour.
Panel 3
Maternal Muse: Motherhood as Creative Catalyst
14:00 – 15:30
Focusing on motherhood as a generative force rather than a constraint, this panel explores how maternal experiences shape artistic practice. Discussions centre on the everyday, the body, intergenerational storytelling and the aesthetics of care.
Moderator: Nomusa Makhubu
Speakers: Grace Cross, Christine Dixie, Bonolo Kavula, Teresa Firmino Kutala & Usha Seejarim.
For more information and to RSVP your attendance please navigate to the Iziko Museums of South Africa website here