Mother with Children

About this artwork.

In the grass next to the villa at Hereweg 103 stands the statue Mother with Children, made in 2021 from Portuguese marble by Albert Aukema. The bright white stone contrasts strongly with the green surroundings, making the statue hard to miss for those walking past.

Albert Aukema (1957) is a sculptor based in Groningen, where he settled after his youth in the Frisian countryside. He started his art education at the Vredeman de Vries Art Academy in Leeuwarden, where he studied Monumental Art for a year. He eventually completed his education at the Classical Academy in Groningen, specializing in sculpture. Since the beginning of his career, Aukema has been inspired by the human body, in which he incorporates themes such as vulnerability versus strength and the relationship between man and his fellow man.

Mother with Children shows a figurative composition of a pregnant woman with two babies on either side of her. The base of the statue has a rough structure, from which the figures seem to rise, while the bodies themselves are completely smooth. Aukema likes to incorporate female figures in his work, as a metaphor for fertility and a primal, powerful maternal energy.

Albert Aukema has made several versions of his work Mother with Children. A similar composition with the same title can be found at the Martini Hospital.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Albert Aukema

• District
  Helpman

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Portuguese marble