We last spoke to Israeli-British photographer Karni Arieli about her photography project Eye Mama in 2021, and since then it’s only continued to grow. The submissions-based project began by inviting anyone who identified as a mother and an artist or photographer to showcase their experiences of motherhood during the pandemic. 

In the first six months, Arieli received 15,000 submissions. Now the project has over 50,000 entries and the Instagram community she’s fostered has nearly 18,000 followers. This month sees the first Eye Mama photography book launch.

“What started as a seed idea became a community online that’s getting stronger and bigger daily, and now it’s a book – a big, strong visual portfolio of the mama gaze,” Arieli tells CR. “Also, though it started in the pandemic, it’s now about the post-pandemic mama gaze as well. An introspective look at motherhood by photographer mamas worldwide.”