In her work, Camille Henrot explores how the act of caregiving reveals deep societal inequalities, particularly the undervaluation of labour related to parenting and childcare. “This labour is not really recognized value represented. It’s not considered as it’s adding value to society, but it does add value to society, so why is it not calculated?” the artist asks.

While motherhood has been experienced by countless individuals throughout history, its cultural representation pales in comparison to war, Camille Henrot notes, pointing to the paradoxical abundance of experience and scarcity surrounding motherhood as a theme: “We have plenty of documentation and monuments about war, and we have so little about motherhood.”

Drawing inspiration from authors and thinkers like Silvia Federici, Maggie Nelson, and Annie Ernaux, Camille Henrot situates her perspective within a rich tradition of feminist critique, emphasizing that the inertia of patriarchy remains a barrier to progress. Despite these challenges, she finds moments of connection and optimism, as in an encounter with an older man who recognized her reading Federici’s Caliban and the Witch while she breastfed her child. For Camille Henrot, this exchange reminds her of the persistent need for intergenerational dialogue and creative expression to challenge societal norms. “It will need more than text and paintings and sculpture. But I mean, already, it’s not nothing,” she concludes.

Camille Henrot (b. 1978, France) lives and works in New York City. Her practice spans drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, and film, with her works exploring themes from literature and psychoanalysis to digital culture. In 2013, as a fellow at the Smithsonian Institute, she created her critically acclaimed film Grosse Fatigue, for which she was awarded the Silver Lion at the 55th Venice Biennale. The following year, she received the Nam June Paik Award, and in 2015, she was given the Edvard Munch Award. Henrot has had numerous solo exhibitions worldwide, including at the Middelheim Museum in Belgium; National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne; New Museum in New York; Schinkel Pavilion in Berlin; New Orleans Museum of Art; Fondazione Memmo in Rome; and Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery in Japan, among others.

Camille Henrot was interviewed by Nanna Rebekka in her studio in Manhattan in May 2023.

Editor and producer: Nanna Rebekka

Camera: Sean Hanley

Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2025. Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, C.L. Davids Fond og Samling