Few artists express the base functions of the human body quite as bluntly as Tala Madani. After returning to the studio after the birth of her child, the Iranian artist explored the motherhood experience in paint—and poo. Her current show, Shit Moms, at Secession in Vienna features groups of babies and adult figures smeared in excrement. At some points, the mother figure is formed entirely of brown paint, and the babies appear almost as her captors. The mother is lost amongst the surrounding mess. The works are at times humorous in their excess, and are also dark. As well as the mother and baby works, there are some which feature gloomy huddles of adult men, the babies here appearing lost and alone. Madani’s at times shocking works capture the madness of the human experience—and the futility of trying to rise above our natural states.
