On placing a new work in a historic church
“It meant entering a space with a strong historical and artistic presence. I did not try to imitate that tradition, but rather to respond to it honestly through my own visual language.”
Sacred Work · St. Jacob’s Church, Antwerp
Mutterliebe
A contemporary Madonna created for the baptismal chapel of Sint-Jacobskerk.
The Work
Motherhood, protection and the cycle of life
Mutterliebe is a sacred sculpture by Joachim Seitfudem created for the baptismal chapel of St. Jacob’s Church in Antwerp, the place where Peter Paul Rubens once had his children baptized. The work brings contemporary figurative sculpture into dialogue with a historic and spiritual setting.
The Madonna was first carved in wood and later cast in bronze, preserving the unique traces, marks and textures of the original hand-carved sculpture. She sits upon a 10,000-year-old oak trunk, connecting the image of mother and child to a much broader sense of time, origin and human existence.
The Location
Sint-Jacobskerk
Installed in a living church rather than a neutral museum space, Mutterliebe was conceived for a place of baptism, faith and ritual. The chapel’s verticality, intimacy and light shaped the composition, giving the sculpture a centered and almost floating presence.
The historic setting does not turn the work into a quotation of the past. Instead, it allows Seitfudem’s contemporary visual language to respond honestly to centuries of sacred art.
Symbolism
The Madonna and the five angels
The Madonna wears only a golden crown and golden earrings. The crown symbolizes that every mother is a queen; the earrings refer to dignity, value and status. Her nudity is not provocation, but a reminder that every human being enters the world naked and free.
Around the Madonna and Child are five angels carved from linden wood. Each carries a symbolic gift: a sword for strength and protection, a globe for responsibility toward the world, a crown for dignity and respect, flowers for beauty, and food and drink as a wish that no child should suffer hunger or thirst.
At the base, two sleeping angels rest beside a chalice containing a skull and a rose. This introduces mortality into the work: birth and death belong to the same cycle, while sleep becomes an image of hope, transition and eternal life.
Materials
Wood, bronze and hammered copper
Mutterliebe brings together the central materials of Seitfudem’s practice: wood, bronze and metal. Wood carries warmth and life, bronze gives permanence, and the hammered copper plate connects the figures to light and space.
Mounted upon copper, the Madonna, angels and ancient oak appear visually detached from the wall. This gives the entire composition a floating, almost heavenly quality.
Film
A sacred work in motion
The short film presents Mutterliebe through light, detail and movement, allowing the sculpture to unfold slowly within the atmosphere of the chapel.
Interview
In dialogue with the collection
On baptism and meaning
“During a baptism ceremony, I hope the sculpture evokes a sense of dignity, protection and meaning. I hope that every child is welcomed with value, beauty and responsibility.”
On personal origin
“It was the first time I used my wife as a model. We have been together for almost twenty years. Because of that, the work is directly connected to my own life.”
On interpretation
“The symbolism is present, but it is not closed. I wanted to leave space for the viewer to complete the work through their own experiences.”
Interview: Joachim Seitfudem with collection manager Rutger van der Steenhoven
“The artwork radiates a warm combination of hope, security, love and faith. The choice of this artist, combined with the historical and spiritual setting, creates a remarkable symbiosis in which art, history, emotion and faith reinforce one another.”
Philip Baron Heylen · Honorary Vice Mayor City of Antwerp
Presentation
Presented in Antwerp
The presentation of Mutterliebe brought together the artist, the church, collectors, guests and representatives of the city. The work entered not only a sacred space, but also a living community.
Sacred Art
Contemporary sculpture in dialogue with history
Mutterliebe stands as a central work in Joachim Seitfudem’s sacred practice: a contemporary sculpture shaped by motherhood, protection, mortality, hope and the timeless image of love.
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