(Latin: mother), etymologically is also related to motherland, checkmate, suppress or suffocate (an insurrection), “ogle” (an attractive person), mating, part of the brain, kill, or tomato, depending on the language.

A exhibition exploring the etymological meaning – and sociopolitical contexts of the word – of the word ‘māter’, taking on a set of unexpected connotations ranging from motherland, witchcraft, autonomy and bacterial growth. A collaboration between Spain and Malta via Barcelona-based curator Alexia Medici, the exhibition will travel between the two countries in March and May 2024, being presented at the National Archives of Malta (in Rabat), and at the Gardens of the Maternity (in Barcelona), home to the Historical Archive of the Barcelona Provincial Council.

Six invited artists have created new, site-specific works for the project, engaging with the sites and their varied uses over time.

Themes which the artists are engaging with include the politics of religion and witchcraft, bacterial growth and colonisation, plant-human relationships, as well as the politicisation of the mother-figure.

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