Thanks to an introduction from Jody Day, I got the opportunity to meet artist Boo Saville. Boo being a fan of Gateway Women and interested in the subject of involuntarily childless, reached out to Jody about her solo show in London this month.
Being an involuntarily childless woman, Boo mentioned that the idea of ‘mother’ has become increasingly prevalent in her work where her show titled ‘Ma’ (being the Japanese word for silence but is also a reference to mother) is dedicated to the babies she didn’t have, titling her paintings after them. After her unsuccessful journey towards motherhood, Boo’s work of the past few years has been focused on grief and the transformative qualities of grief where Boo wanted to hear my views on this with regards to being childless. With the movement of female artists who are mothers Boo felt that there isn’t much discussion around infertility regarding its impact on woman’s lives and is interested in the “often silent voices of women who stoically and painfully navigate these journeys”.
So after saying yes to Boo’s invitation I made my way to TJ Boulting, London on Wednesday the 25th and was welcomed by Boo and her team. Before our talk I took some time to walk around the exhibition, absorbing the way Boo crafted her pictures using colours and isolated images to creatively represent her grief.
I found her work to be so still that it reminded me of the emptiness I felt when I realised that I would not be a mum, like I was standing still whilst the world kept moving without me. The 2 pieces I was most drawn too was the painting Boo named after her mum (probably because purple was featured) and the picture of an empty nest which felt so stark and poignant with the absence of any eggs.
Boo and I spent our time together, in front of an audience relaxing (and some laying down) on bean bags whilst listening to us sharing our experiences of grief and bonding over the similarities of our journeys.
‘Ma’ is a Japanese expression which describes the space in between, a deliberately empty space but one which holds its own presence and significance. It is the silence between notes, the pauses which give music meaning, and the emptiness which is full of possibilities.
I felt the we occupied the space within our grief to come together and honouring our journeys towards finding a fulfilling life without children. We found music within our words of sadness and joy filling the emptiness that we once experienced knowing that our lives are full of possibilities.
Ma is at TJ Boulting 59 Riding House Street, London W1W 7EG and runs until the 11th June 2022.
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