FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Mother's Day

Artist-Supermom Uses Her Kid’s Naptime to Stage a Sculptural Balancing Act

Csilla Klenyánszk explores the transition to motherhood by constructing 'Pillars of home' during rare bits of free time.
All images courtesy the arist

With the bright light of a child comes the balancing act of priorities, and Hungarian artist, Csilla Klenyánszki, takes this quite literally with Pillars of home, a series of temporary sculptures she creates during the 30-minute respites of her young baby's naptime. Stacking up home inventory items like plastic tableware, fishing nets, and camera tripods, the results give a fascinating window into both an artist's—and a mother's—creative pasttime.

Advertisement

"The floor-to-ceiling constructions rely on their own inner stability while being framed only by—floor and the ceiling. […] Their delicate arrangements and balancing structure makes them vulnerable as they can be destroyed at any moment," Klenyánszki, one of the founders of Mothers in Arts, explains to Creators. "Not only [is] the image in danger if the installation collapses, but the noise of the fallen objects might awaken [my] sleeping baby."

Klenyánszki's work explores her personal transition from before to after having a baby. This shift is a concept she hopes to explore through Pillars. The artist uses "every single moment of free time," she explains, to explore this cornerstone of her new life, treating the quiet as a personal "mental refuge." Thus, the paradox between filing the role of dedicated parent and exploring one's identity through art comes to the foray.

Ultimately, Klenyánszki hopes that her work will bring more exposure to the challenges facing young artist parents. "Without access to affordable child care, and in the particular case of migrant artists—like myself—without even the support of a family… combining an artistic practice with the daily schedule of any infant becomes almost impossible," she explains. If anything, her playful 3D assemblages speak to the chaotic yet wholly achievable reality of being both a mother and an artist.

To see more work from Csilla Klenyánszki, visit her website here.

Related:

How I Met My Daughter Before She Was Born

Virtual Reality Doc Takes You Through a Mother's Grief in Gaza

Ryan McGinness' Meditations on Motherhood