Using the religious image of Jesus’ mother suffering at the foot of the cross, Oppen brings to attention mothers suffering. Through a combination of drawings, poems and texts the work focuses on the pain that comes from losing sons due to past, present and future world wars and conflicts.
'The Stabat Mater is a chant dating from the 13th century. Its intensely devotional fervour focuses on the suffering of Jesus’ mother at the foot of the cross. In this work I shift the focus to mothers who have lost their sons in world conflicts; past, present and future. It is a call to work for peace' (Monica Oppen, Bibliotheca Librorum apud Artificem catalogue).
