Warning: This article includes images of nudity.
There is a vulnerability in the self-portraits of Josie Del Castillo’s Matrescence series at Presa House. The artworks confront the beauty and turmoil of pregnancy and post-partum. When pregnant, many celebrate the joy of creating life, but no one talks about the loss of self (mental and physical) and the process of rediscovery as an individual, parent, and partner. Del Castillo’s show at Presa house is an homage to her experience of becoming a mother.
Presa House is a small gallery space, with three of the five rooms and hallway filled with various canvas sizes. The large panel paintings feel overwhelming in the closed space, striking strong emotions. Del Castillo and I, both the same age, with daughters who are the same age, had different pregnancy experiences and deliveries. Yet, we are connected by the complex emotions that come with the experience.
Del Castillo stands with her back to the viewer in How Long Does Healing Take? (2021-2022). her form and skin rich in detail revealing the bodily change brought by carrying a child - the folds of the flesh in her back, the dimples and veins in her thighs. Del Castillo looks over her right shoulder to gaze directly at the viewer, exposing her right breast. The tear and title of the work speak to the loss of sense, yet her gaze declares a resilience and strength found in motherhood. "Healing is not always a smooth or linear journey," Del Castillo reflects. "Even as we work to better ourselves and overcome challenges, progress can feel uneven."
A breast is the source of sustenance to a newborn, so it’s an interesting choice that Del Castillo has chosen to remove her nipple and depict a sprig of elephant ear breaking through the skin. "Surrounding me and even growing from me are plants that symbolize personal growth along this journey. However, growth is not always constant, nor is it solely marked by prosperity. Some leaves are wilting, reflecting the setbacks and struggles we encounter along the way."
The plant becomes a metaphorical representation of providing nutrients and care to her child. The elephant ears also frame her in the lower half of the composition on either side. The leaves are full and plenty, yet the two largest show signs of browning and decay. Considering her already representational approach with the sprig bursting from her chest, these two plants are also symbolic of important pairings: her and her partner or her parents. Not only is Del Castillo navigating the loss of self, but also the shift in relationship with your partner. New parents have to navigate the relationship and new responsibility; there is a sense of a closing chapter at the relationship transitions.
I lean more towards the idea that these two elephant ears represent Del Castillo’s parents. Matrescence is not just about the personal experience, but generational ones, as she acknowledges and pays homage to her parents in the show with their portraits. With the new experience of being a parent, there is an ability to reflect on the choices of our own parents to expand their dimensionality. Additionally, there is an acknowledgment that as mothers gives birth to new life, her own parents are aging. Where there is life, there is death.
For me, How Long Does Healing Take? was particularly striking, as I have only begun to feel like “me” again within the past few months, almost two years after my daughter was born. This is not the singular experience within Matrescence, as Del Castillo also reflects on dimensionality pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood. There is the “glow” from the swollen belly in the third-trimester visualized in Primer autorretrato embarazada (2022) hanging in the back room of Presa House. In another room, Waiting for the unknown (2023), depicting her body foreshortened and exposed to explore the anxiety of doctor’s visits and delivery. There are three collaborative works with her daughter, Leila, exploring playful moments of discovery and creativity. Del Castillo connects with those who have experienced pregnancy and offers insights to friends and partners who haven’t shared the experience. Matrescence is a must see at Presa House.
Josie Del Castillo: Matrescence is on view at Presa House until March 15, 2025. Gallery hours are by appointment only.
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