Project aims to show 'true essence of motherhood'

The founder of an international photography project set up during the pandemic for women to share their "authentic representation" of motherhood is fundraising to protect the collection as part of history.

Karni Arieli, 50, from Bristol, came up with the idea of the Eye Mama Project in 2020, to counter the unrealistic images she was seeing of motherhood on social media while juggling parenting and working during Covid.

Now with about 70,000 images taken and sent to her by women from more than 60 countries, Ms Arieli, said the collection helps represent the "true essence of motherhood, which has remained hidden for too long".

She hopes to raise £35,000 to sustain and archive the project.

Ms Arieli, who was a 2024 BAFTA nominee with her husband Saul Freed for their film Wild Summon, said the project sits on the exact junction she was at in her own life in 2020, as a mother, a photographer and filmmaker.

"I never see my reality and the juggle and duality and imperfections and that's what led me to begin this. It's a passion project that ballooned," she said.

Through the Eye Mama project different journeys are represented through pictures of IVF, miscarriages, birth, fostering and adoption.

"Motherhood is a multifaceted experience. It is both a joyous and exhausting journey, one that carries with it moments of profound love, overwhelming frustration, and deep vulnerability," she added.

"The days after birth can be so intense and crazy and it's not really spoken about. It can be one of the most dangerous moments and it really bonds us as women.

"And motherhood is for everyone, not just for mothers, because we're all children," and the stories told through the pictures are widely relatable, she said.

Ms Arieli said motherhood can often be unsupported and [can lead] to isolation and feelings of inadequacy and failure, despite its universal significance. And has long been underrepresented in ways that capture its complexity.

"So the Eye Mama Project aims to change that by offering a platform where motherhood is shown in all its forms; as self-portraits of mothers navigating their own realities, embracing moments of strength and fragility."

The images help "illuminate the work of care and shine a light on the women who perform it through photography, helping to validate their experiences, because feeling seen makes us feel less alone," she added.

"We need a village, and dads and grandparents are part of this story too, every carer needs support."

Over the last five years, Ms Arieli has managed the work herself and hopes the funding will help continue the project in a more sustainable way in the long term.

"Then people can look back at this time and say 'this is what motherhood looks like', which we can't do in other time on history because it doesn't exist."

Saving and preserving the "unique portfolio of care", ensures the voices continue to be seen, heard, acknowledged and celebrated for years to come, Ms Arieli said.

"To create a first ever motherhood image archive, for the future of us, and care, is empowering the invisible," she said.

"Because if you see yourself in these images then I think you feel less alone."

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