What does motherhood really look like—and who gets to define it? Artist Naima Green is challenging traditional ideas through her deeply evocative portrait series, now featured in her solo exhibition Instead, I Spin Fantasies at New York City’s International Center of Photography (ICP). This bold body of work doesn’t just capture images of pregnancy; it reimagines what family, identity, and creation can mean in today’s world.
In the collection, Green blends realism with imagination. Some portraits show her with a lifelike prosthetic baby bump, while others depict people from her own circles—friends, partners, and community members who help expand the visual language of motherhood. Each photograph invites viewers to rethink what pregnancy symbolizes, asking where fact ends and fantasy begins. The result is a series that feels both intimate and provocative.
“I’m working toward a more expansive view,” Green explained in a recent interview. “Across different geographies, social classes, and beliefs, I want to open space for new ways of seeing and forming families.” Her images, layered with tenderness and curiosity, blur the boundaries between what’s personal and what’s imagined, offering a complex meditation on belonging and creation.
But here’s where it gets controversial: What happens when an artist who isn’t pregnant constructs images of pregnancy? Is this a brave act of artistic exploration—or does it risk misunderstanding a lived experience? Green’s work doesn’t offer easy answers, which may be what makes it so captivating.
Instead, I Spin Fantasies invites each of us to reflect: How do our own assumptions shape who we believe can—or should—embody motherhood? Do you find Green’s approach empowering, unsettling, or something in between? Share your thoughts below—this conversation about family and imagination is just getting started.
