Francena Ottley, "I'm not me I'm just mom"
2023
Yarn on monks cloth
ARTIST STATEMENT
Motherhood is so challenging yet so beautiful. It's often difficult trying to navigate through the ins and outs of what is expected of me as a mom but also the pressure that comes from social media and family. Adding on mothering during a pandemic and dealing with prenatal, birth, and the unspoken fourth trimester/postpartum can come with many obstacles. The pressure around breastfeeding versus formula feeding. Dealing with prenatal and/or postpartum depression. How to balance being an artist and a mom, a working woman and a mom, or even a stay at home mom. This piece is part of my series The Birth of a Black Mother which is my diary, my journey to and through motherhood. It highlights my day to day with my two daughters Luna and Soleil and the moments we share together some beautiful and some harder to bear.
ARTIST BIO
Francena Ottley is a Dominican- American, New York based Textile Artist, Photographer, Installation Artist, and Mother. Her work consists of using different mediums to create narrative pieces that focus on empowering people of color and uses her art as a tool for visual activism. Her goal is to always make work that speaks to people, empowers people, and shares knowledge while always remaining authentic.
2023
Yarn on monks cloth
ARTIST STATEMENT
Motherhood is so challenging yet so beautiful. It's often difficult trying to navigate through the ins and outs of what is expected of me as a mom but also the pressure that comes from social media and family. Adding on mothering during a pandemic and dealing with prenatal, birth, and the unspoken fourth trimester/postpartum can come with many obstacles. The pressure around breastfeeding versus formula feeding. Dealing with prenatal and/or postpartum depression. How to balance being an artist and a mom, a working woman and a mom, or even a stay at home mom. This piece is part of my series The Birth of a Black Mother which is my diary, my journey to and through motherhood. It highlights my day to day with my two daughters Luna and Soleil and the moments we share together some beautiful and some harder to bear.
ARTIST BIO
Francena Ottley is a Dominican- American, New York based Textile Artist, Photographer, Installation Artist, and Mother. Her work consists of using different mediums to create narrative pieces that focus on empowering people of color and uses her art as a tool for visual activism. Her goal is to always make work that speaks to people, empowers people, and shares knowledge while always remaining authentic.
2023
Yarn on monks cloth
ARTIST STATEMENT
Motherhood is so challenging yet so beautiful. It's often difficult trying to navigate through the ins and outs of what is expected of me as a mom but also the pressure that comes from social media and family. Adding on mothering during a pandemic and dealing with prenatal, birth, and the unspoken fourth trimester/postpartum can come with many obstacles. The pressure around breastfeeding versus formula feeding. Dealing with prenatal and/or postpartum depression. How to balance being an artist and a mom, a working woman and a mom, or even a stay at home mom. This piece is part of my series The Birth of a Black Mother which is my diary, my journey to and through motherhood. It highlights my day to day with my two daughters Luna and Soleil and the moments we share together some beautiful and some harder to bear.
ARTIST BIO
Francena Ottley is a Dominican- American, New York based Textile Artist, Photographer, Installation Artist, and Mother. Her work consists of using different mediums to create narrative pieces that focus on empowering people of color and uses her art as a tool for visual activism. Her goal is to always make work that speaks to people, empowers people, and shares knowledge while always remaining authentic.