Coinciding with Art Basel, Mary Kelly is currently included in 'Labouring Bodies' at Museum Tinguely, Basel. The exhibition is on view until 8 November 2026.
In 1974, Mary Kelly showed a double film projection juxtaposing footage from a tin can factory with images of her own pregnant belly. This installation, shown only once, has been reconstructed for the first time as part of 'Labouring Bodies'. Kelly presents her 1973 film 'Antepartum' (pictured here) alongside a film from her 1973-75 'Women & Work: A Document on the Division of Labour in Industry'.
In 'Antepartum', a single close-up shot captures the artist gently stroking her full-term pregnant abdomen as the unborn child moves beneath the skin. Kelly was part of a group of London-based artists influenced by the experimental film movement, and the work’s repetitive gesture reflects a strong engagement with concepts of real time and duration. The film served as a precursor to Kelly’s landmark work, 'Post-Partum Document'.
10 June 2026
