Exhibition Review: Fertility Fortunes – The (Mis)conceptions exhibition

I was pleased to be asked by the BioNews editors to attend the opening night of the Fertility Fortunes exhibition, showcasing artworks created as part of the (Mis)Conceptions Project.

The exhibition showcased 78 artworks that were the result of a collaboration between the cultural historian Dr Isabel Davis from the Natural History Museum, and the visual artist Anna Burel. They aimed to 'open up conversations on complex and sometimes taboo topics in the fertility space'.

The artworks took the form of a deck of tarot cards. These comprise 22 major arcana cards ('Tell the Future') and 56 minor arcana cards are divided into four suits: 'Fortune', 'Secrecy', 'Uncertainty' and 'Hope'. The use of tarot as a medium reflected the uncertainties around fertility, conception and pregnancy, the limits of what science can answer, and the different futures that could come to be.

The uncertainties presented on the cards felt authentic to me, reflecting ideas and questions that I had heard voiced at PET (the Progress Educational Trust) events over the past eight years. In particular, the King of Fortune, 'Can I Afford It?', card reflected the costs associated with fertility treatment for the many people who are excluded from NHS-funded IVF.

The King of Uncertainty card, 'Is Science the Answer?', also felt very familiar. There are many excellent scientists and medical professionals striving to find improved, evidence-based treatments for infertility. Success rates have improved enormously since IVF began, but the chance of a live birth from an IVF cycle has remained stubbornly around one in three. The card depicted a person placing eggs into a freezer, and, as regular BioNews readers will know, while egg freezing is a good option for some people, it offers no guarantees.

The Page of Fortune card, 'If I Wear these Lucky Pants, I'll get Pregnant', and the Five of Uncertainty card, 'Can I Better my Chances', depicting a woman bathing in goat's milk both spoke to the superstitions around conception and pregnancy that can arise among both individuals and groups who are fervently hoping to conceive. They were also reminders that it is very human to want to take action and have a sense of agency in a situation that can feel beyond control.

I was able to ask Dr Davis about how the subjects and ideas were chosen, and she explained that they were the result of public engagement research. This included discussions with fertility professionals, as well as aspiring parents, about ambiguities in fertility and pregnancy.

As someone who is happily child-free, I must admit I had not expected the content to resonate with me as much as it did.

'The Clock' card took me back to my late 30s, when I realised the time to change my mind about starting a family was limited. I had never particularly wanted to be a parent, and was living a happy and fulfilled life, so I was very surprised at how confronting the notion was that the option to change my mind would soon be gone.

One of the issues I struggled with at that time was summed up in the Ace of Hope card, 'Whose hopes am I carrying?', which depicted a family tree with a branch chopped off. My choice not to have children meant that my parents could not be grandparents – and I'm sure they would have been wonderful ones.

The other card that resonated with me was the Twelve of Tell the Future card, 'Stigma'. US Vice President JD Vance's comments last year about 'childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives' showed that prejudices about women – and women specifically – who are not parents are still very much in circulation.

Vance and his ilk lumped all childless women together because it wasn't externally obvious who was child-free by choice, affected by infertility (including that of a male partner) or didn't find the right co-parent. It didn't seem to matter if we are happy, or whether we have regrets or hidden heartbreak. We were fair game. Nobody has called my husband a 'childless dog man.'

The project also pointed out how the unknown can also cause worries beyond fertility and pregnancy, and wondered about the quality of life for future children. The Two of Uncertainty card, 'Can I Parent in this Chaos', reflected worries which could encompass family instability or poverty as well as broader fears such as geopolitical concerns or climate change. The Two of Fortune card, 'What Inequalities do we Inherit', depicts a sepia photograph of a black family disembarking a ship, and asked questions about what treatment future children can expect from the societies into which they were born.

Becoming a parent – or not – involves some of the biggest decisions and strongest feelings many of us will experience in our lifetimes and as such I think everybody would find something in this artwork to relate to. However, I think its strongest suit (excuse the pun) was that it gave an insight into the experience of those who have struggled with infertility or pregnancy loss. The cards were quite remarkable in laying out a whole range of thoughts and emotions, and I find it especially commendable that they didn't shy away from the less palatable subjects like impatience and jealousy.

The creators plan to make the cards freely available as a printable download. If you would like to be notified when they become available, please contact misconceptions@nhm.ac.uk

In addition to the tarot deck, the accompanying book 'Conceiving Histories: Trying for Pregnancy Past and Present' is published this week. Buy this book from Amazon UK.