Art exhibitions explore parenthood and mental health through sculpture and painting

Two exhibitions examining the emotional realities of parenthood and mental health are bringing together sculpture and painting that reflect themes of vulnerability, identity and personal transformation.

Opening in John Macktintosh Hall on May 5 are CorUtero by Mark Montovio and Shadows in Bloom by Natasha Cottrell.

CorUtero explores the tensions and contradictions of parenting, presenting it as an evolving process shaped by responsibility, emotional labour and change.

The title combines the Latin words cor, meaning heart, and utero, meaning womb, suggesting a connection between feeling and physical creation. Across the exhibition, forms appear both protective and burdened, highlighting the dual nature of caregiving.

“CorUtero interrogates the limitations imposed by a stereotypically gendered society. Traditional associations of care with femininity and provision with masculinity are destabilised, revealing how such binaries restrict both expression and experience. Each piece blurs boundaries between inside and outside, strength and softness, and self and other, proposing a more fluid understanding of what it means to parent,” said Mr Montovio.

“The sculptures also bear witness to struggle, functioning as quiet yet insistent testimonies to the lived realities of caregiving. They articulate the often unseen negotiations of identity that accompany parenthood, where gender roles are both inherited and contested.”

“In their fractured, layered, and sometimes precarious forms, the works make a statement about the pressure to conform, while simultaneously asserting the possibility of redefinition of self, of gender, and of what parenting can mean beyond prescribed norms.

Alongside this exhibition, Shadows in Bloom presents a series of paintings by Natasha Cottrell created in response to the theme of Mental Health Week 2026: Action.

The collection explores the idea that taking action on mental health often begins with internal change, such as acknowledging emotions and expressing personal experiences.

“At its core, taking action does not always begin with outward change or decisive steps; often, it starts internally, with the courage to acknowledge, to express, and
to be seen. These paintings embody that first movement,” said the artist.

Through colour, texture and form, she aims to transform lived experience into visual language.

“Emotions that may be difficult to articulate in words like fear, fragmentation, resilience and hope are given shape and presence. The act of painting becomes more than a creative exercise; it is a process of externalising inner states, making sense of them, and reclaiming a degree of agency,” she added.

The exhibition also highlights the potential impact on viewers, inviting them into a space of openness and reflection that may encourage conversation, support-seeking or personal awareness.

Both exhibitions are running concurrently at John Mackintosh Hall from May 5 to 15.