A quirky and thought provoking exhibition, opening Friday at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, explores themes of motherhood and women’s bodies through hand knitted art bras.
‘Mom Bras’ features life-sized knitted breasts that aim to honour the unique qualities of all women regardless of size, shape, colour or identity.
Artist Cassie Arnold, based in Texas, USA, said she started the ‘Mom Bras’ series after the birth of her third child.
“I was exhausted with having to cover up while nursing in public and started playing with the idea of putting a breast on the outside of a nursing bra,” Cassie said.
“Upon first glance the work is naturally humorous, but there is also a lot of serious topics that I address in regards to the way in which women’s bodies are looked at and treated.
“Even if you aren’t a mom, or even a woman, the goal is to have the viewer walk away with a new appreciation and respect for how incredible the female body is.”
As a self-taught knitter, Cassie said a lot of her process was trial and error, often reknitting pieces multiple times.
“I am more of a reactionary person by nature, but working with knitting is thoughtful, tedious and time consuming,” she said.
“I love that the process forces me to slow down and really think about what I want to articulate within the work.
“I take whatever time I am given during this busy season of life while raising three small children and will often knit while riding in the car or even in bed late at night after everyone has gone to sleep.
“Ultimately, the most important part for me is that the work gets created, even if it is sometimes literally one tiny stitch at a time.”
Cassie said she found textiles as an art medium was an approachable way to connect with her audiences.
“It allows me to talk about sensitive topics in a soft way which naturally invites the viewer into a conversation,” she said.
“I think a lot of women felt seen with certain topics I wanted to discuss within the series.
“It became a huge motivation to continue creating the work, the more conversations that I had with others, and the more my own body evolved and changed.”
Cassie said she was thrilled and proud to exhibit ‘Mom Bras’ at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery as her first solo exhibition in Australia.
“The whole team at Bundaberg Regional Council has been so incredible from the very first conversation to making this exhibition a reality.
“I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to share my work and continue this important conversation about women’s lives with your community!”
‘Mom Bras’ is on at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery from 18 July to 30 August. Find out more in the Galleries Winter Program on ArtsBundaberg.com.au.
