LUPUS NON MORDET LUPUM
My mother was born in the Overberg town of Caledon, South Africa in 1953 to a father who twice faced bankruptcy, but scored the first hole-in-one at the golfcourse in Riviersonderend where, in her final year of high school, she was nicknamed 'White Rat'. At 19, she got married after abandoning her teacher training at Stellenbosch University, the bastion of Calvinist Afrikaner Nationalism.
Today, at 70, the former potter and equestrian battles the acute physical and psychological effects of Lupus, an autoimmune disease causing the body to attack its own organs. When first encountered in the 13th century, it was thought the accompanying facial lesions, spread across the cheeks like the wings of a Lepidoptera [butterfly or moth], resembled the bite marks of a wolf. Difficult to treat, its exact cause remains unknown.
As the parent of two daughters, who call me 'Wolf', I can finally empathize with, and question, her sacrifice, dependence, bitterness, doubt, regeneration, and relentless spiritual pursuit as a partner, mother, grandparent, and perhaps ultimately, a womxn.
My mother was born in the Overberg town of Caledon, South Africa in 1953 to a father who twice faced bankruptcy, but scored the first hole-in-one at the golfcourse in Riviersonderend where, in her final year of high school, she was nicknamed 'White Rat'. At 19, she got married after abandoning her teacher training at Stellenbosch University, the bastion of Calvinist Afrikaner Nationalism.
Today, at 70, the former potter and equestrian battles the acute physical and psychological effects of Lupus, an autoimmune disease causing the body to attack its own organs. When first encountered in the 13th century, it was thought the accompanying facial lesions, spread across the cheeks like the wings of a Lepidoptera [butterfly or moth], resembled the bite marks of a wolf. Difficult to treat, its exact cause remains unknown.
As the parent of two daughters, who call me 'Wolf', I can finally empathize with, and question, her sacrifice, dependence, bitterness, doubt, regeneration, and relentless spiritual pursuit as a partner, mother, grandparent, and perhaps ultimately, a womxn.
This intimate project traces my mother’s enduring battle with Lupus, an autoimmune condition that has shaped not only her life but my evolving understanding of her strength and sacrifice. Viewed from the vantage point of different continents, the series examines her determination as a full-time parent and the quiet resilience that defines her as a womxn navigating chronic illness.
Through this journey, I seek to document the interplay between vulnerability and perseverance, capturing the profound ways in which illness intersects with identity, caregiving, and motherhood. This work is a tribute to her unwavering spirit, offering a personal lens into the broader narratives of womxn’s strength and the realities of living with invisible diseases.
Featured by PhMuseum + Too Tired Project
Through The Lens Collective + World Press Photo
Through this journey, I seek to document the interplay between vulnerability and perseverance, capturing the profound ways in which illness intersects with identity, caregiving, and motherhood. This work is a tribute to her unwavering spirit, offering a personal lens into the broader narratives of womxn’s strength and the realities of living with invisible diseases.
Featured by PhMuseum + Too Tired Project
Through The Lens Collective + World Press Photo