Group exhibitions of this scale are rare in a dealer gallery, and rarer still when the occasion is an idea rather than an anniversary. This winter, Sanderson Gallery partners with artist-run initiative mothermother to present MOTHERMOTHER, an expansive exhibition investigating mother-centred frameworks and matriarchal futures, and the intricate, joyful systems of care on which society depends.
The collective behind it operates unlike most in the art world. mothermother has grown through invitation, friendship, and gift exchange rather than hierarchical curatorial structures, championing under-represented practices and embodying a kaupapa of manaakitanga. Its artists are not necessarily biological mothers. Instead, the initiative understands mothering as connective tissue, the means by which knowledge passes between generations and communities hold together.
That understanding shapes the exhibition itself, which brings together over 40 practitioners spanning four generations. Core members of the mothermother collective show alongside artists from the Sanderson stable, invited guests and long-standing collaborators, a roll call that includes Jacqueline Fahey, Philippa Blair, Judy Darragh, Ann Shelton, Rosanna Raymond, Hana Pera Aoake, Areez Katki and Arapeta Hākura, among many others. Their works explore the m/other in its fullest sense: tending ecologies, care and maintenance, the evolution of the self, the hope of our matriarchal men, the grief of loss and absence, the expression of birth, and the enduring power of kinship.
The opening night on Thursday, the 23rd of July, promises to be a happening in the truest sense. Guest appearances by Mother Diva and Mutha Supreme will set the tone, while artist Jessica Pearless presents an activation of her wearable ABSTRAXIONS, a series of bespoke, tunic-style garments made in honour of the artists and their world-building, worn by the exhibiting artists and curators throughout the evening.
MOTHERMOTHER runs at Sanderson Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, from Thursday the 23rd of July until Sunday the 23rd of August 2026, with the opening reception from 5 pm to 7 pm.
