Dyana Gravina
Founder and creative director
Dyana Gravina is an artist, facilitator, activist and art producer based in London. She is a women-artists-mothers’ rights advocate, and is the founder and creative director of the Procreate Project. She has worked for over a decade in the entertainment industry, events and the contemporary arts. Independently working for other organisations and agencies, she has led international productions and established collaborations with brands and institutions including the Venice Biennale, IPM International Music Conference, The Devine Comedy musical theatre, Goldsmiths University of London, Royal College of Art, LADA, and Create London.
Paola Lucente
Director and Curator
Paola Lucente is a London based independent curator, with bachelor in Visual art and a Master in Art Management Psychology. She worked several years in the contemporary art scene, for names like Zabludowicz Collection in London and Guggenheim Museum, Marian Goodman Gallery, Scope and Volta art fairs in New York.
Alena Beranzoni
Mother Art Prize coordinator
Alena Beranzoni is a London-based producer and manager with master degrees in Intercultural Communication and Cultural & Creative Industries. Having worked in the arts sector for over 10 years she has realised a wide portfolio of cross-cultural projects and collaborations with prominent art organisations in the UK, Russia, Europe and the USA.
Elisa Fontana
Head of educational programme for the Mother House Studios
Elisa is Play Therapist, Social and Emotional Learning Facilitator, Early Years Teacher and Relational Artist. She currently works as a project manager, consultant and therapist in the educational sector in the UK. She has been leading community art projects, training and consultancy in Italy, Switzerland, India, Turkey, Egypt and the UK.
Chiara Di Zacomo
Media and communication intern
Chiara is an art historian with an MA in Curatorial studies in Rome. She started to build up her working experience in the contemporary Roman art scene, as assistant of the conceptual artist Roberto De Simone. She also worked in art galleries in Rome, and collaborated with Roma Radio Art Fair and the 54th International Art Exhibition, la Biennale di Venezia. Chiara moved to London to find new ispirations.
“Through art, we want to unpack and shed light on stereotypes and assumptions that women cannot pursue their creative goals when raising children.”
Advisors board:
- Sylvie Gormezano, Director of Picture This Productions and Chair of the Association of Women Art Dealers (AWAD)
- Marcelle Joseph, Director and Curator of Marcelle Joseph Projects
- Elizabeth Neilson, Director of the Zabludowicz Collection
- Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, Artist, Midwife, Feminist academic & activist. Founder of Home Live Art
- Pauline De Souza, Director of Diversity Art Forum
Ambassadors:
- Bracha L. Ettinger
artist-painter, artist-theorist, psychoanalyst and philosopher, pioneer thinker on the matrixial space and the maternal subject.
- Antonella Gambotto-Burke
critic, journalist and novelist - Nora Weller
Executive Director at Cambridge Academy of Global Affairs – a pioneer in promoting peace, reconciliation and cultural exchange through advancement of women’s rights and art and cultural heritage protection
Thoughts from the founder
Mothers should be supported. There is a profound need in society of understanding what motherhood means, the invisible unpaid labour of caring for a child and raise him or her into an adult in this society should be evaluated and recognised and not ignored.
Furthermore, women should be able to talk loudly about each aspect of their life as mothers. They should not feel inhibited during sex, pregnancy, not during birth and not after.
You cannot be inhibited when creating art as you cannot feel inhibited when creating life.
The art of motherhood should be normalised, felt, extemporaneous, and not judged as boring, or not “sexy” enough to reach the big audience.
To me art is about expression, intense feelings, experiences, chaos, madness,profundity, richness, blood, love. I would use the same words to describe motherhood. If not oppressed by patriarchal schemes radicated in people’s brain, a woman should be able to find full empowerment during this time as a human and as an artist.
Starting from this awareness then we can try to create more infrastructures that facilitate a woman in pursuing her career while nurturing her practice as a mother.
Our partners and supporters:
Arts Council England, Royal College of Art, Mayor of London, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Women’s Art Library at Goldsmiths University of London, King’s College London, Zabludowicz Collection, IKLECTIK, Mimosa House, Create London, AWITA, LADA Live Art Development Agency, Elephant West, The Showroom, Elephant Magazine, Create London, Colart, Richard Saltoun
Useful contacts
General enquiries:
info@procreateproject.com
Mother Art Prize:
artprize@procreateproject.com
Enquiries about events and public programme:
events@procreateproject.com
To be fuatured on our online shop:
shop@procreateproject.com
Follow us on social media
Facebook – Instagram @procreateproject
Twitter: @procreateproj
