"Maters Matter" 2025 by Scarlett Rouge

Maters Matter by Scarlett Rouge represents the three stages of womanhood. It is a  triptyque bas-relief, composed of carved plaster, pigment, and framed in wood. The title itself plays on the word Mater, which means mother - but it also resonates with matter, as in the material we are made of, and we matter, as in our intrinsic value and importance.

In this piece Scarlet reflects the way our religious and political systems have historically oppressed the feminine. She draws a powerful connection between how we treat femininity and how we treat nature: both are subjected to control, limitation, and suppression. We try to put “nature” - our very own Mother Nature - into a box we think we can manage. But the irony is, we live inside that box. If we destroy it, we destroy ourselves.

Maters Matter represents the three stages of womanhood:

1.Stabat Mater (left panel)
“Stabat” means “to stand firm.” This first panel represents the moment a girl becomes a woman. She stands in a dreamlike, fairy-tale world - an Alice in Wonderland-like landscape that symbolizes childhood. Coyotes appear in the scene - this is the first time she becomes prey, signaling the vulnerability of entering womanhood. Her goal is to reach the temple of Petra, a symbolic passage, a dark corridor of the soul. It’s through this transformative journey that she becomes a woman.

2.Magna Mater (center panel)
This figure is the fertility goddess, holding a serpent - representing the kundalini, the vital life force. She embodies both feminine and masculine energies, and it’s through this inner balance that she becomes a creator. Fully stepping into one’s femininity means learning to harness one’s masculinity as well. She is related to Venus, sitting in the shell - her element is water, representing emotion, intuition, and the fluidity of creation.

3. Alma Mater (right panel)
The nurturing mother, seen here in the stage of menopause. Her animal is the wise owl, symbolizing knowledge. She holds a sprig of mugwort - a herb traditionally used for women issues, including menstruation and abortion. She’s the guardian of ancient feminine wisdom, here to remind us of the knowledge that comes through lived experience. But even as she stands grounded, her time is shifting - hands reach up to her, signalling that soon she will become a guiding star. In Scarlett’s family, they have a saying: “the deceased become shining stars in the sky.” That idea is embedded in this work as well - Alma Mater is both memory and future, rooted in the past but illuminating the way forward.