An exhibition created in collaboration with the Mother and Baby Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital looking at identity and the everyday, framed by the complex challenges experienced during the transition to motherhood.
Artists Esther Maxwell-Orumbie and Sarah Carpenter have been working with service users and staff to create lino and mono prints inspired by the ordinary artefacts and occupations of individuals’ past and present lives. The exhibition also features written and textiles works, made in occupational therapy sessions on the unit and in the Main Occupational Therapy Deptartment at the hospital.
Esther Maxwell-Orumbie’s work is strongly influenced by the ups and downs of motherhood and West African culture. Sarah Carpenter’s photo-montages and other artwork incorporates the processes of deconstruction, reconstruction and recycling of ideas drawn from her experiences of mental illness and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
The Mother and Baby Unit supports and treats women experiencing a wide variety of mental health issues in the perinatal period, including post-natal depression and post-natal psychosis.
A list of events and workshops will be announced here soon.
Images by Sunny: (comb and fork)
The Maudsley Charity recognises the essential role the arts play in health, recovery and education. We fund projects including the Bethlem Gallery and Museum, that play a vital role in providing access to the arts in healthcare environments and engage audiences in learning and debate.