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Alexandra Carter: The Mother Shell from Alexandra Carter
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I paint the female body in states of transformation—pregnancy, birth, postpartum—to reveal the visceral realities of motherhood. I want to know how this experience consumes, ruptures, and remakes the self. I’m drawn to the monstrous feminine—the reproductive body as both feared and revered, vola
- Alexandra Carter
- Ejection Reflex, 2024
- Ink on drafting film
- 48 x 65 in
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$5,000
This painting reflects on the birth of my second child—an unexpected and intense home birth. We had planned to go to the hospital, and I believed there was still plenty of time, but then I began experiencing the fetal ejection reflex: a powerful, involuntary series of contractions that pushed the baby out without any conscious effort on my part. It was as if my body took over completely—an awe-inspiring force that I could only surrender to.
The bird in the piece represents that primal, internal power—the sheer velocity and mystery of what was happening inside me. At the same time, I want to leave room for multiple interpretations. The bird’s beak, for instance, resembles forceps, evoking a very different kind of birth, one shaped by medical intervention. To me, this image can hold space for a range of birthing experiences, all of them powerful in their own right.