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Dear M•Others

It is my great honour to share my recent journey with you.

My name is Sun Chang, a social artist and independent publisher. Born and raised in Wuhan, China, live and work in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I am the initiator and director of to M•Others, a participatory publishing, exploring womxnhood and female economy through the idea of mothering.

Co-learning with Vrouwenmantel Art Research Group

I encountered Kija Benford through Witte Rook. Kija is a previous resident, an artist mother who initiated Vrouwenmantel Art Research Group. A research platform for maternal in art. After reading her archives and following her platform online, I invited her for a collaboration. Then, the publication to M•Others x Vrouwenmantel Art Research Group is born!

This publication stemmed from the hardships parents experience while working in the arts, as a joint open-ended research on “How do you invite mothering back to the Art?” It is designed into a personal letter delivered to those working in Dutch art institutions, to create a direct conversation about embracing parenting and especially motherhood into today’s art world.

Fig1. feature of the publication

Meeting with Barbara Strating

I had a chance to speak with Barbara Strating in the occasion of interview. Surprisingly, Barbara knews my work from the past, then we spoke a lot about the turning point of my practice and how the new normal of the pandemic impacts my focus and world view.

“Mothering is a verb rather than a status.” That is very inspiring feedback from Barbara. Both being a woman and non-mother, I think this is a great way of viewing our in our common angel.

Being with Witte Rook community

I followed my womxnhood to Witte Rook, and Witte Rook returned their womxnhood to me. It is fascinating and extremely privileged to be involved in its community, to witness the ways of how it is organized and taken care of.
I would like to recommend you to read a review by Julia Strik, who is a 16 years old intern in Witte Rook. It is also her first article published online, which has very interesting points of viewing artwork. This article is made by an invitation from the residents, Magot Zweers and Karina Beumer, and supervised by the staff, Ruth de Vos.
In the end, I would like to share a side discovery during my stay in Breda – the Beguines movement. It is a free-women and semi-monastic community, originating from the mediaeval Period in Europe (mainly in Belgium and the Netherlands).
The quote from the film “All om all” could rephrase my research of womxhood and female economy well – “The question is still open: Is there any way?”