At the intersection of feminism, science fiction and disco “Mothernism” aims to locate the mother-shaped hole in contemporary art and discourse.

The central hypothesis being examined is if the proverbial Mother is perhaps perceived as a persona non grata in the art world, because her nurturing nature is at odds with the hyperbolic ideas of the singular artistic genious.

Mothernism operates as a practice-based approach to critical research, and engages what can be dubbed “confluences of influences”: seeking to eke out information not solely from primary sources, but more importantly from their non-obvious interconnectedness.

Through the writing and art production of the fictional alma mater Queen Leeba it explores the perceived schism, as well as the overlap, between mothering and artistic and curatorial practice.

Lise Haller Baggesen (1969) left her native Denmark in 1992 to study painting at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. In 2008 she relocated to Chicago with her family, where she completed her MA in Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the art Institute in 2013, for which she received a fellowship award.

In the meantime, her work evolved from a traditional painting practice toward a hybrid practice including curating, writing and immersive multimedia installation work.

Her work has been shown in galleries and museums in Europe and outside, including w139 in Amsterdam, Overgaden in Copenhagen, the Municipial Museum in the Hague, MoMu in Antwerp, the Wurttembergischem Kunstverein in Stuttgart and CAEC, the Chinese European Art Center in Xiamen, The Poor Farm in Manawa, WI and 6018 North and MCA in Chicago, IL.