Hoda Tawakol: My Mothers – The Siren, The Vessel, The Womb

Through film, photography, and sculpture, Tawakol reclaims the female body as a site of creation and resistance, reflecting on motherhood and the complex layers of identity. This exhibition’s centrepiece is a three-channel video made from stitched Super-8 film fragments (1960s–1980s) which portray three maternal figures: Tawakol’s mother, Honey, her grandmother, Toutou, and her nanny, Hosneia. Each channel reveals intimate narratives, from Honey’s complex personality to Toutou’s pivotal role in raising Tawakol and Hosneia’s nurturing presence.

In the series Fragments of Return (2024–25), black-and-white photographs from the artist’s family archives were manipulated by incisions backed with vibrant, almost metallic-gleam colours, and tattoo-like interventions. Studio portraits or holiday snaps are overlaid with snake, shell, or flower motifs, exploring identity and resistance. Sculptural works like Lure (2024) and Nude (2025) reference femininity, fertility, and control; Hair (2011-14) and Warrior (2010) redefine hair as a symbol of strength and defiance.

To  28 March.

Above: My Mothers (2025, still from three-channel video)