Allison Grant | Within the Bittersweet

In her subtle project on mothering, Allison Grant guides us to consider the shadows. In ​‘Shelter Shadow’ a mother holds one child on her hip and uses her body to shield another child from the heat of the sun. The image strikes me as a good representation of the parental instinct to protect. For me, it also cues the anxiety that comes with the scale of environmental dangers, so far out of our control. We can protect our children from the looming heat… but can we really?

In ​‘Shadow Mother’ and ​‘Holding Lorelei’ the face of the mother is hidden from view, recessed into the darkness. But her arms and hands are very present, like a cradle for the infant who shines in the sun. In her arms, the babies are simultaneously vulnerable and secure. The quiet subjects here, for me, are the mother’s postures of support as her children begin to navigate the world and its threats. Grant’s project offers tenderness without sentimentality; the protective embrace is rich with a deeper pathos.

- Lisa