Susan Lemke, Waving, Not Drowning (fragments of modern motherhood) (ART & CONCEPTUAL 2025)

Emerging from the dense thicket, a mother’s arm extends—part offering, part plea—holding an apple, marked by the faint imprint of a child. Waving, Not Drowning is a visual echo of the hidden narratives of modern parenthood—an image shaped by quiet resilience and the unspoken weight of care. In a culture that praises solitary coping, the mother’s gesture is both shield and signal, composure masking a deeper call for connection. Inspired by Stevie Smith’s poem Not Waving but Drowning, the work reflects the silent burdens borne by many mothers today—navigating economic strain, fragmented support systems, and the unrelenting pressure to juggle work, mortgages, school demands, and relationships. Gone are the generational villages of shared caregiving, replaced by individualised and often invisible struggle. In this era of overwork and digital disconnection, we are yearning for a new kind of village—not bound by nostalgia, but reimagined through co-care, shared rituals, and emotional labour made visible. This photograph asks: Who catches us when we fall behind closed doors? What rituals of support endure, and which could yet be reinvented for the modern parent?

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.