MOM'S SMILE

2021 - On going

Work in progress about the daily life of Agustina and Mia, two women, mother and daughter living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Agustina gave birth to Mia  in June 2007 when she was only sixteen years old, after 3 years of tests and diagnosis, the doctors discovered that Mia had been born with Periventricular Leukomalacia, a type of brain damage. That year Mia’s father left. 

"I feel like all my memories are erased and start from Mia's birth,  actually from the moment when I found out that I was pregnant..."

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is characterized by the death of brain's white matter due to softening of the brain tissue. PVL is caused by a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the periventricular area of the brain.

Today Mia is 15 years old, the very same age Agustina was when she got pregnant.

 Throughout this work we seek to reflect on what it is to be a single mother of a person with Mia’s pathology, to become aware that we live in an ableist society and the importance of changing this way of constituting ourselves. 

"None of what happened could be expected. Everything triggered complexities that, at my young age and maturity, slowed down the process..."

Even though Agustina has a family that supports and helps her, it has been the two of them facing a harsh and petty reality all these years. 

"As a standard, I questioned myself every day, questioning the purpose, the why, the what for and the how to, which resulted in even more disarray within the daily chaos. 

I still do..."

"I've spent the last 14 years questioning the place I occupy not only in my own life, but also in Mia's..."

The aim of this project is to bring these issues to the forefront to generate support and information networks. Our goal is to make a positive, realistic impact, breaking the romantic and limiting concepts of ableism, ethics and the social hegemony imposed on this complex reality.

 I chose this name for the project because Agustina always does everything, or almost, with a smile. It is a smile full of love, empathy, uncertainty and strength. It is a smile that over the years has learned to shed guilt. Her day to day is a great responsibility and a very heavy load that she had to learn to carry alone, however she chooses to live it smiling. That is reflected directly in Mía, her spirit is full of life, through her gestures and her smile communicates it, you can see it, she shines. It is a very strong contrast to her body, a body we don't know how long will resist for. Agustina knows this very well, that's why she creates, or tries to, an environment of constant enjoyment for Mia.