Coletivos de mães-artistas: táticas e estratégias para re-existências

Abstract

This research, positioned within Motherhood Studies at the intersection of Art Studies and Science, Technology, and Society, investigates the main tactics and strategies of re-existence adopted in the formation and maintenance of mother-artist collectives. To this end, we will analyze the dynamics of six (6) collectives of mother-artists in the contemporary Brazilian context: (1) Rede Mães Artistas na Sagacidade (M.A.Na.S), (2) Coletivo Matriz, (3) Coletiva e Mapeamento Arte e Maternagem (A&M), (4) Coletiva Mãe Artista, (5) Movimento Arte na Maternidade (MAM), and (6) Rede Afetiva de Mães Artistas (RAMA). Starting from the understanding that both mothering and art are fields historically linked to idealizations and naturalizations constructed socially and culturally, we propose the investigation of tactics and strategies as forms of subverting the patriarchal expectations and norms imposed on these roles, framing them as avenues for constructing re-existences. We understand re-existence as a form of reconstruction, of regeneration—not only resisting or opposing, but building new possibilities for the world through activist practices. Our theoretical framework navigates across different fields of study. We primarily bring into our discussions the concepts of mothering, spaces of healing, and the construction of commons. In terms of methodology, this exploratory and qualitative research is based on principles of documentary research. Initially, we seek information about these collectives through social networks, creating descriptions of the groups, identifying their tactics, and organizing them into strategies. As a result, we identified three (3) main motivational fronts for the formation of these collectives: (1) the need to create networks of support and care; (2) the pursuit of recognition in the artistic field (artistic trajectory and production); and (3) the desire for social transformation through artistic and educational processes. These motivations shaped the collective motives and interests that culminated in the formation of the groups and informed the formulation of their action strategies. Finally, we outlined five (5) re-existence strategies present in the mother-artist collectives analyzed: (1) establishing rules and affiliations; (2) building support networks; (3) occupying spaces; (4) creating spaces and educational processes; and (5) building and preserving memory.