CAROLINE WALKER: MOTHERING

23 May-31 Oct 2026

Sensory-Play, 2025, Oil-on-linen. Credit: Caroline Walker

Overview

Known for her paintings of the everyday lives of women, Walker focuses on moments of care and labour that are often overlooked or unseen. The exhibition includes scenes set within hospital maternity wards, domestic interiors shaped by the arrival of a newborn, and childcare environments. These works are informed by close observation and time spent with her subjects.

In recent years, Walker has painted scenes of motherhood and early-years care, drawing on both personal experience and her observation of paid and unpaid caregivers. Rather than focusing solely on biological motherhood, Mothering considers the wider social and economic conditions of care work. The exhibition title was inspired by a remark made by a nursery worker, who described ‘mothering’ as a significant part of their training.

The exhibition features large-scale canvases, intimate panels, pencil sketches and ink drawings. Working across different scales and formats, Walker’s paintings combine careful documentation with personal experience, offering insight into women’s lived realities.

“The subject of my paintings in its broadest sense is women’s experience, whether that is the imagined interior life of a glimpsed shop worker, a closely observed portrayal of my mother working in the family home, or women I’ve had the privilege of spending time with, in their place of work. From the anonymous to the highly personal, what links all these subjects is an investigation of an experience which is specifically female.”  Caroline Walker

An illustrated monograph, Caroline Walker: Mothering, published by Lund Humphries, accompanies the exhibition.

Caroline Walker: Mothering is organised by The Hepworth Wakefield in collaboration with Pallant House Gallery, and Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange.

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