Oedipal Scaffolding was created for a print exchange. The theme of the exchange was the matriarch. We were tasked with representing a mother figure that was important. This person could be real or imaginary, personal or of world renown. I decided to approach the theme in my own way, creating a symbolic representation of a mother, and focusing on one of the many aspects related with the mother figure in both Freudian Psychology, and mythology in general: the oedipal mother complex.

Oedipus was a king in Greek Mythology who killed his father in order to marry his own mother. In psychology the oedipal mother is associated with over protection, and the toxic trait of neglecting marriage in order to pour too much affection to children (particularly male children) which results in complicated love and relationships between mother and sons when entering puberty and adulthood. One of the best books I’ve read that beautifully portray the complexity of the oedipal mother is Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence.

In this print we can observe a mother figure with the face of a moon, breastfeeding a baby with the face of the sun. Thorny roses emerge from this interaction, portraying beauty as well as pain. The baby is wrapped up tight, and surrounded by thorns, with space for nothing other than interacting with the nipple. The mother seems to look at the baby with tender eyes, enjoying motherly love, perhaps unaware of the desires or wants of the child and what surrounds him.The breast are red and voluptuous. It’s intended to portray fertility, but the artist is aware of the inevitable thought that they also suggest sexual desire.