Maternajes Transfronterizos
Gabriela Rivera Lucero
A solo exhibition by Gabriela Rivera Lucero exploring motherhood, caregiving, and migration through experimental photography.
Maternajes Transfronterizos (Maternalities Across Borders) is an experimental photographic project by Chilean artist Gabriela Rivera Lucero , exploring motherhood, caregiving, and migration through a feminist and decolonial lens. It was developed during her participation in the Nest Residency in Coswig (Anhalt) in 2023.
Drawing on her own experience as a migrant mother and artist in Spain, Rivera Lucero portrays mothers and caregivers from the Global South living in rural Almedíjar and Alto Palancia. In a safe photographic space, participants share memories and rituals, while the filmsoup technique — soaking film in organic materials such as tea, fruit, wine, and flowers — turns each image into an alchemical act.
The concept of maternage, coined by feminist theorist Adrienne Rich, resonates throughout the project, positioning care as an emancipatory and transformative practice that extends beyond biology.
Public programme
- Saturday 4 October 2025, 18:00–21:00 — Opening.
- Thursday 16 October 2025 — Closing.
A book presentation by the artist and a Film Soup workshop were also announced, with dates to be confirmed.
Credits
Artist and installation: Gabriela Rivera Lucero. Curator: Marcela Villanueva. Production assistant: Elisa Basilissi. Communications: Myriam Martínez.
Maternajes Transfronterizos was a Berlin-based project by Karne Kunst gUG, under the artistic direction of Marcela Villanueva , and was presented at Bardo Projektraum, Berlin. It was supported by the División de las Culturas, las Artes, el Patrimonio y Diplomacia Pública of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile.