Ongoing project

In my inner world, the Matriarchs are the Mothers — the origin of a lineage that unfolds through each figure.

They are the Great Mothers, holding a powerful dimension of the Feminine:
archetypes and metaphors of something vast and deeply rooted, something that moves through all of us.

The first studies appear here alongside some of the earliest illustrated Matriarchs, tracing the beginning of this visual research.

From the first Matriarch, the others emerged. Each one is connected to her, carrying forward the same lineage.

The works presented here are process sketches from an ongoing body of research.
The silkscreen print on original collage shown is Matriarch No. 5, printed in 5 copies.

Every copy is unique.

For purchases and enquiries, please write to me at chiara@chiaradattola.com

Ongoing project

My first true Matriarch was inspired by the exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris dedicated to Niki de Saint Phalle—one of my greatest masters.

It was both a creative tribute and a way to tell De Saint Phalle’s story through images. This one appeared among the pages of La Lettura, in newspaper the Corriere della Sera’s Sunday supplement, and it was shown in the exhibition “Graphic Novels” at the Triennale Milano, in 2015.

The project has expanded in other directions and it is still in progress.

The Feminine has always been a central theme in my personal research—in many directions that are slowly taking shape.

In my inner world, the Matriarchs are the Mothers, the beginning of our lineage.

They are the Great Mothers.
They embody something powerful within the Feminine: they are archetypes and metaphors of something vast that belongs to all of us.
This is the beginning of the story behind this project.

The other Matriarchs you see here came to life shortly after the first. They are inspired by her and are part of the same lineage.