I have been making photographic self-portraiture projects since 2009, and work about motherhood since 2019.
These photographs are from latest series about motherhood, Oh Me, Oh Mãe III, which I started in September 2023 after deciding to switch the accompanying text of my motherhood images from hashtag diaries (like in my first two Oh Me, Oh Mãe projects) to poems (or at least something resembling them). My two children were born in 2020 (B, during the first Covid-19 lockdown in the UK) and in 2022 (L, when some Covid restrictions were still around). Early motherhood was not what I thought it would be; I felt more isolated and lonelier than I expected. My work has always been therapeutic for me, but my personal work became a place to vent and talk about this new chapter of my life. Oh Me, Oh Mãe III predominantly consists of photos of me imitating my children, which was something I started to explore in Oh Me, Oh Mãe (2020-2021) after B’s birth and I have continued in subsequent series. I knew that I did not want to show my kids faces within my work until they are old enough to understand and decide for themselves, so it was a natural reaction to wanting to share new milestones/skills/things that made me laugh. I like the element of humour and playfulness that it brings to my work, even when the accompanying text might be more melancholy. Note: Mãe is Portuguese for mother; my children are British-Portuguese.jocelynallen.co.uk (external link: Jocelyn Allen)