THE LET DOWN
29 June - 31 December 2024
LONDON
ON THIS PAGE : EXHIBITION OVERVIEW | ARTISTS BIO | PV GALLERYOVERVIEW
Metalore is pleased to present The Let Down, a group exhibition about infant feeding choices and early motherhood curated by Khaoula B Karaweigh featuring works by artists who are also mothers:
Breanne Furlong, Dyana Gravina, Khaoula B Karaweigh, Kristina Varaksina, Mee Jey, Mio Ebisu, Portia Yuran Li and Stefania Zocco.
This exhibition is a place for the artists to coexist in a public space that feels intimate, and familiar, mirroring the way women navigate early motherhood often in close quarters but rarely in open dialogue.
Khaoula B Karaweigh
A small restaurant transformed into a milk shop within a utopian hospital ward, evokes a sterile environment, red carpeting alluding to the significant amount of blood loss surrounding early motherhood, from childbirth itself to bleeding nipples and the ongoing wound bleeding in the early weeks postpartum; metal plates, cold and sterile like those found in morgues, hospitals and restaurants, used as backdrop for the exhibited prints. Milk bottles, meticulously arranged on a functioning refrigerator, become an installation, a stark reminder of the constant struggle to nourish a newborn; hospital curtains, strategically placed, reinforce the sense of shared experience, of these life-altering events happening side-by-side, yet unseen, in hospital wards or neighbouring homes.
EXPLORE THE EXHIBITION
Installation view. The Let down Exhibition. Turie, London.‘The thought-provoking pieces within this expo led to candid and vulnerable conversations with relative strangers. Such a beautiful and inclusive atmosphere, filled with connection’
Yasmina Floyer, Writer
BRE FURLONG
Breanne Furlong is showing three photographs from her Half-Empty series exploring breast feeding in still photography. Her work offers a candid and humorous portrayal of the challenges faced by new mothers. By transforming everyday objects into symbolic arrangements, Furlong visually represents the physical and emotional rollercoaster of postpartum life. She highlights the overwhelming realities of caring for a newborn, bodily changes, and the pressure to consume an endless array of baby products, through meticulous poster-like visuals, similar to the idealised portrayals of motherhood often seen in mainstream advertising.
View Bre's Profile ‘Breastfeeding and motherhood in general can feel very lonely, but when we open up, we learn that we all share similar experiences.’
Breanne Furlong
Breanne Furlong Cleaning, 2023Breanne Furlong Hairfall, 2023Breanne Furlong Teething, 2023DYANA GRAVINA
Dyana Gravina's contribution to The Let Down comprises a video, an installation, and a dynamic performance piece titled 'The mothers of social hygiene [wet threads]'. The performance, a powerful opening to the private view, begins outside the venue and culminates near the installation. Gravina’s voice fills the space as she draws the audience into a mesmerising interactive art experience, by inviting participants to hold tights, a ubiquitous material central to her artistic practice, they create a shared moment that bridges generations.
Read more about Dyana's performance and practice here ‘The 'uncivilised' nature of women from a lower class background has been a clear demarcation between the divine ‘New Woman’ and uncivilised one with a more ‘animalistic’ and filthy nature, shaping contemporary discourse around choice, breastfeeding shame, the maternal body and health.’
Dyana Gravina
‘The mothers of social hygiene [wet threads]’ keeps exploring the ‘othering’ nature of western feminist practices, towards women from a disadvantaged socio-economical background. It highlights how disparities at the intersection between class, race and geographies among women shaped the realities and experiences of mothering and nursing from the 19th century until today. A multifaceted history of oppression, community care and grief.’
Dyana Gravina
Dyana Gravina
Wet threads ‘The mothers of social hygiene’ performance, Courtesy the artistDyana Gravina
Wet threads ‘The mothers of social hygiene’ performance, Courtesy the artistDyana Gravina
Wet threads ‘The mothers of social hygiene’ performance, Courtesy the artistKHAOULA B KARAWEIGH
Khaoula's installation for The Let down recreates a milk shop, filling a functional refrigerator with formula bottles. The menu on the back wall features a text inspired by the brief conversation she had with a midwife a few minutes post-birth.
Complementing the installation is a painting depicting a distressed infant with an eagle-like beak, symbolising the intense pain of breastfeeding. Painted on a wooden clock to highlight the relentless cycle of the "witching hour." As an artist and new mother, Karaweigh's work-in-progress reflects these tumultuous experiences. The unfinished canvas, titled "Timesuck (painting interrupted)," authentically captures the challenges of balancing life's competing demands.
View Khaoula’s Artist Profile
Khaoula B Karaweigh
Timesuck (painting interrupted), 2024Khaoula B Karaweigh
Midwife Tina, 2024KRISTINA VARAKSINA
Exhibits four prints from her ongoing Self-Reflections series of self-portrait photography. In almost clinical settings, her intense gaze challenges viewers to decode the carefully constructed narratives within each image. With props like breast pumps, text-laden corsets, petals adorning her pregnant body, and hair cascading over her shoulders and arms, she creates visually striking scenes imbued with potent political undercurrents to explore the female experience, fertility and motherhood.
View Kristina's Artist Profile 
Kristina Varaksina
News, 2021Kristina Varaksina
Transition, 2023Kristina Varaksina
No Milk Today, 2023Kristina Varaksina
Self portrait with shaved head Today, 2020MEE JEY
Mee has produced a new video installation for The Let Down, reflecting on her journey as a new immigrant in the United States where she relocated while pregnant. Juggling the rigours of academic life with the tender demands of early motherhood, she presents a surreal self-portrait, wearing nothing but a sari bottom and a graduation hat, she appears immersed in the creation of her signature repetitive patterns while "breastfeeding" dolls, gifted to her by a community member, via beaded threads. The dolls serve as poignant symbols of maternal care. This work not only underscores the resilience and ingenuity of women balancing multiple roles but also highlights Mee Jey's strong connection to her community.
View Mee's Artist Profile Mee Jey
Mother of all, Master of none (2), 2024 Mee Jey
Mother of all, Master of none, 2024 Mee Jey
Mother of all, Master of none (3), 2024
MIO EBISU
Mio Ebisu is exhibiting three paintings created for The Let Down, inspired by her observations of a coot family that built a nest on a water garden she created next to her narrowboat. Her paintings invite viewers into a deeply personal and introspective exploration of the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world. She delves into themes of nurture, vulnerability, and the complexities of intervention. Mio’s paintings reflect on our role as observers and protectors of the environment, raising questions about the delicate balance between human compassion and respecting the natural order.
View Mio's Artist Profile‘Coots built a nest on a water garden I made next to my narrowboat. Seven very lovely chicks were born and the parents were busy raising them. However, the smallest chick, the last one to be born, was not getting any food. I was very nervous and said to myself “No, wild animals have their own rules.” But what happened to me? I had no idea that it was so hard to leave a hungry baby alone!.’
Mio Ebisu
Mio Ebisu
One part of river bird and one part of cell, 2024Mio Ebisu
Like there shouldn't be people around, but that's no good either, 2024Mio Ebisu
With that soft chalk, you can draw. You can build a minimal nest, and divide it, 2024PORTIA YURAN LI
Portia is showcasing a tufted piece from 2022, inspired by the profound intimacy and bond she shared with her child during breastfeeding. Drawing inspiration from the Greek myth of Hercules, a powerful infant who gained strength from the goddess Hera's breastmilk, Portia finds a personal connection to her own breastfeeding journey. The image of divine nourishment and the Milky Way itself being formed from spilled milk resonates deeply. It compels her to re-evaluate the significance of breastfeeding, not just as a physical act, but as a life-giving force with a rich mythological legacy.
View Portia's Artist Profile
Portia Yuran Li
Hera’s Nector, Hero’s Specter, 2022‘It's the period that BuBu had strong attachment to me, he was 18 months, and I hadn't stopped breast feeding him. For this small piece of work, I hope to remember the intimacy we have. ’
Portia Yuran Li
STEFANIA ZOCCO
Stefania presents a dual exploration of the personal and the digital through her two exhibited paintings and a selection of finger USB sculptures. Her Metamorphosis canvases, created with fragments of her child’s clothing and toys, a deeply personal and tactile reflection on motherhood, growth and transformation. These works, rich in autobiographical resonance, contrast with the GIVEANDGET series, where finger plaster sculptures become symbolic of identity in the digital age. This juxtaposition invites viewers to consider the complex relationship between the intimate and the interconnected.
View Stefania's Artist Profile
Stefania Zocco
Metamorphosis with a view 8, 2023Stefania Zocco
Metamorphosis with a view 7, 2023
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Photographer
Lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Bre is a Photographer whose practice explores breast feeding through still life photography.
Her work often employs vibrant colour, dynamic compositions, and objects to tell the stories of both herself and others.
Bre studied Photography at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
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Interdisciplinary artist, curator, birth doula and activist, mover, and community builder.
Lives and works in London, United Kingdom
Dyana Gravina (They/She) is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, birth Doula and activist, mover, and community builder. She is the founding director of Procreate Project, a pioneering arts organisation dedicated to womxn and non-binary artists who are (m)others.
She holds an MA in 'Gender Sexuality and Culture' at Birkbeck University.
Their artistic and curatorial practices are interested in feminisms, migration, and body politics manifesting in a transdisciplinary body of work that combines movement, actions, photography, video, and text. They use somatic movement as a research method; the body as material. She uses both autobiographical and collective knowledge to challenge the perception of the self under social constructions and cultural environments and redefine and deconstruct univocal notions of the 'female'.
They have collaborated, and curated projects with partners and venues including RCA, King’s College London, LADA Live Art Development Agency, IKLECTIK, Ugly Duck, Mimosa House, Women's Art Library, RichMix, Richard Saltoun Gallery, 198 contemporary Art and Learning, to mention a few. Her performance actions and performative lectures have been shown and hosted in the UK and internationally including, East Street Arts, Wellcome Collection, ]Performance Space[, Leyden Gallery, The Yard Theatre, Institute Centre of Photography ICP ( NYC), Art Basel / Richard Saltoun Gallery, Minusoffspace (Vienna), Unit London, Menoparkas Gallery (Kaunas), Gruentaler9 (Berlin).
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Multidisciplinary Artist
Lives and works in London, United Kingdom
Khaoula B. Karaweigh is a Moroccan multidisciplinary artist, curator & spatial designer.
She holds an MA in Painting from the University of Arts London (UAL), as well as a a Masters in Architecture from The National School of Architecture Rabat, Morocco.
Her work has been exhibited in Morocco, England and Croatia.
Principally working with acrylics and mixed media, she draws from her childhood and life between Morocco and England to explore the themes of Cultural Identity, Trauma, Grief, and Motherhood.
Through consistent self-reflection, and the fascinating experience of human interaction, she paints lived and reimagined scenarios through a humorous and satirical lens, exposing the absurdity of everyday behaviour, the illusion of human invulnerability, and the persistent grip of social injustice, superstition and cultural beliefs. The recurring focus of her work is the female body, sometimes god-like in its power, sometimes rendered monstrous by pain and grief: Hands and nipples become claws, vulnerable organs protrude in angry defiance and devastated faces blur or become invisible. These mutations are all acts of self-preservation, a desperate and angry defense against bodily corruption and the horrors that seek to penetrate vulnerable flesh.
Through her work, Khaoula strives to explore the potential of subjugated women and goes hand in hand with her activism as a founding member of the NGO The Free Feminist Union (UFL) in Morocco.
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Photographer
Lives and works in London, United Kingdom
Kristina Varaksina is a photographer exploring womanhood, self-reflection, vulnerability, and empowerment through staged photography. Using minimalist environments and limited colour palettes, her work establishes an honest and powerful connection between her subjects, often herself, and the viewer.
Varaksina earned a Master’s Degree in Photography from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco in 2013, and a Master’s Degree in Graphic Design from the Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts, Russia in 1999.
Varaksina's work has been exhibited at Photo London, Lens Culture New York, BJP Open Walls Arles, Portrait of Britain UK, Aesthetica Art Prize, and The Royal Photographic Society, receiving critical acclaim for its ability to spark conversations about unique human stories, emotions her and her subjects experience and bring attention to contemporary issues. She has also been featured in publications such as Future Now Aesthetica Anthology, BJP Portrait of Humanity and Portrait of Britain books, The Guardian, The BBC, and TIME magazine.
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Multidisciplinary Artist
Lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Mee Jey is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores related issues of politics of immigration, ecology and resources through immersive, interactive installations, performances and community engaged art projects. Her work often employs repetition as visual and formal pattern using repurposed fabric and found materials to create points of conversation and contemplations on these issues.
In 2019, Mee Jey attained an MFA degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She holds degrees in history, field archaeology, and art history from India.
Mee Jey's art has been showcased in prestigious venues worldwide, including Zabludowicz Collection in London, San Jose Museum of Quilt and Textiles in California, EVAC Gallery in Athens, Greece, as well as several other renowned galleries. Known for provoking discussions on border policies, nature, and resources, Mee Jey has received accolades such as the Visionary Emerging Artist Award 2022 and the Mother Art Prize, including an International Residency in London for 2022-23.
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Painter
Lives and works between London/United Kingdom and Tokyo/Japan.
Mio Ebisu is a contemporary painter exploring the inner world and childhood memories from her travels in Japan.
Her paintings feature plants, cityscapes, Manga-style figures, and spiritual creatures originating from her childhood dreams of other worlds. Despite being based in Tokyo, she spent time in Japan's deep mountain areas due to her parents' work, exposing her to diverse landscapes. This contrast between wild nature and urban settings inspired her to envision a unique world.
Mio's expressive brushstrokes and incorporation of natural paint properties reflect her memories, creating immersive work.
Mio received her MA in Painting from the University of the Arts London in 2019 and a BA in Fine Arts from Musashino Art University in Tokyo in 2012.
Her work has been showcased at the Tokyo Opera City Arts Gallery and represented by the Bambinart Gallery in Tokyo, with many pieces held in private collections. She collaborated with artist Yoshitomo Nara at the Towada Arts Center and has worked with musicians like Sam Andreae, David Birchall, Otto Willberg, and Marta Forsberg in Europe.
In 2021, she was awarded a grant from the Arts Council England's Developing Your Creative Practice program to produce her own paints.
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Multidisciplinary Artist
Lives and works between London, United Kingdom.
Portia Yuran Li is a contemporary artist working across fiction writing, installation, and performance, She specialises in intertwining research archives, mythology, fictional narratives, and live performances to explore the complex dynamics of power, geopolitics, and identity contradictions underlying human activities. By delving into the series of traumas within East Asian families and the life struggles of East Asian immigrants, she utilises performance art and body workshops for healing, subtly revealing human struggles and desires, blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination.
She completed her master's at Goldsmiths, University of London (2017-2019).
Portia Yuran has been commissioned to create performance art by the London Science Gallery and IKLECTIK, and has performed performance art in multiple galleries and art museums including the Old Operating Theatre Museum in London. In 2023, the children's theatre she founded in London performed at the Blackheath Hall in London.
Portia Yuran's work was showcased at the Science Gallery as a part of the 3rd Oxytocin Collective Care exhibition, garnering significant praise for its capacity to stimulate discussions on the online threats concerning breastfeeding.
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Multidisciplinary Artist
Lives and works between London, United Kingdom.
Stefania Zocco is an artist who explores the tangible and intangible realms through painting, drawing, and installation. Her work often uses traditional oil painting techniques to reflect on fast-paced and imperceptible themes.
She completed her MA in painting at the Royal College of Art in 2018 after graduating with a BA and MA from the Fine Art Academy in Palermo in 2006 and 2012, respectively.
Stefania Zocco's art has been showcased in various exhibitions, including at Badr El Jundi Gallery, So Close, Come On (group) in Madrid, 2023; Procreate Project Archive, Science Gallery London, UK, 2023; Ciao Ciao (Will Technology Save Us?), La Siringe, Palermo, 2022; Bloomberg New Contemporary at Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds, and South London Gallery, London, UK, 2019; Espacio, Luz y Orden at Josedelafuente Gallery, Santander, SP 2019; and Pianeta X at Riso Museo Arte Contemporanea, Palermo, IT, 2014. Her work has been praised for sparking discussions about contemporary landscapes. She is also featured in publications such as Almanacco delle Artiste di Sicilia, curated by Emilia Valenza, Kalos edition, 2024, and listed as an artist for The Studio Visit Project on the Quadriennale di Roma website: https://quadriennalediroma.org/stefania-zocco-2/.
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