What is Mamma, In the Meantime, and how did it come to be?
At the age of 91, my mother, Elia, was living alone when she broke her hip and we started noticing that her memory was failing. In 2014, I brought her into my home, and we began a 5-year-long artistic adventure, including photography and painting, documenting her feelings of a life lived and her recollections before they vanished for good. This collection is called Mamma, In the Meantime.
What initially inspired you to grapple with dementia?
The start of our series began soon after Mom moved in with me. She photo-bombed me while I was learning new camera settings. The inspiration of our collaboration began at that very moment and continued for 5 years.
How has working on dementia-related art changed you?
Our collaboration as artist/model, mother/son, and as caregiver/dependent changed the definition of what life is and what it should be. The art was a vehicle to express all that is, what was, and definitely should be.
Documenting visually the feelings inside oneself, without words, creates a profound effect in all languages. Mamma, In the Meantime has had a strong effect on who I was, am presently, and need to be, moving forward.
How has the work been received?
Our collaborative work has received international attention. News, print, online, webinars, film, exhibitions have all contributed to the meaning and focus of caregiving and dementia. This includes The Independent, On Art and Aesthetics, and Toronto Life. The work was also the topic of my Ted Talk.
This work is dedicated to: Mamma, In the Meantime body of work is dedicated to my mother, my model, and her spirit. My mother, Elia, passed away in 2021 at age 98. She was watching Gilligan’s Island. 🙂
Find more from Tony Luciani on his website, Facebook, and YnotPhoto. Tony’s story is also one of those that contributed to the book, The Caregiver Chronicles, 22 Family Caregivers Get Real About the Ties That Bind, available on Amazon, the proceeds of which benefit caregivers.
