Ruth
Schreiber

An Oscar for my Daughter, the Surrogate

(polished bronze, 37x19x16cm)

(collage, graphite 37x52cm)

 

In 2014 my daughter Tamar, mother of 4 young children, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and handed her over to her genetic parents. A couple of years earlier, she had decided, together with her husband, to carry a child for a childless couple who could conceive but could not carry an embryo to term. Through her doctor friend, she found a suitable young man and woman, and had their fetus implanted in her uterus. She (wisely) only shared this with us, her parents, after it was a fait accompli.

We were speechless at first, but since then have been bursting with pride, as we observed her injecting herself daily for 6 weeks so that her uterus would not reject the foreign body in it; attending meetings with lawyers, social workers, court officials, rabbis, psychologists, etc., and at term handing over this miracle gift and then quietly continuing with her own life.

I produced this sculpture as a take on Oscar awards for the film industry. My daughter was touched to receive it from me, and keeps her cast in her bedroom. I am happy to be reminded by this sculpture of Tamar’s selfless gift of life. She provided a ‘tikkun’.