Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Cherie Leung

Are you warm enough?

5.3ft x 9ft cotton quilt top made of 6,912 1"x1" squares, on top of 42 quilts and air mattress. 48in(h) x 80in(w) x 45in(d)

“As a mother of 3, I constantly worry about whether my children are warm enough, safe enough, happy enough, and whether I am teaching them enough to navigate the world. I created a 5.3ft x 9ft quilt top made of almost 7,000 one-inch squares that I individually cut and sewed together. The fabrics are left over from previous things I’ve made for my kids, including the 42 quilts the piece sits on top of. No child needs that many quilts. The quilts are stacked on top of each other because mothering in excess can become “smothering” and counterproductive in raising confident children. My piece illustrates excessiveness, obsession, labour as care, but also overcompensation for feelings of worry and guilt.”