Louise Bourgeois is an artist whose influence has defined a generation of modern art. Her sculptural and textile works are compelling beyond the symbolization of the biographical narrative of her life, and tug at us in an incredibly moving way.
Bourgeois’ art is embedded with an autobiographical narrative; her works draw on childhood experiences and familial history, prominently the turbulent relationship with her mother, her father’s betrayal, and the emotional complexes this left her with. Psychological trauma, violence, sexuality, and a desire for protection are themes explored through her visual language of motifs such as cells, dismembered body parts, and most famously her organic, encapsulating spiders.
‘Louise Bourgeois: Late Works’ is the first exhibition of Bourgeois’ work in Australia since her death in 2010, and focuses on her fabric works – the dominant medium in of the last 15 years of her life. During this time Bourgeois mined her closets for materials that reflected her identity; from textiles dating back to the tapestry workshop her parents owned, a dominant part of her childhood; to clothes worn throughout her life.
Contrasting to her earlier works made with timber, marble, and bronze, the fabric works hold a tactility relating to a different sense of intimacy. Although retaining the confronting emotional aspects of isolation, depression, revenge, and associated violence that most of her works entail, they are conditioned by a softness that accompanies this background with an element of sensitivity, perhaps from calmer periods of her life. The process of sewing, stitching and assembling are regarded as reparative acts or restoration and joining. They speak of the toughness of her life’s history with a new positivity, and can be read in relation to our own body and experiences.
While Bourgeois speaks of female issues from a woman’s point of view, and has sparked political commentary of feminism throughout her career, curator Jason Smith speaks of the transformative power of her work that goes beyond gender: “It’s not just about women and it’s not just about men – so much of her work is about sexuality and relationships and the emotional tug of war, or embrace between men and women.”
So why does Bourgeois’ work hold such a universal power? Her work contains a raw honesty that elaborates on fundamental emotions of the human condition. Of her influence, particularly to artists, Smith says “She makes objects that communicate exactly what she wants to communicate. This is important. If the object itself didn’t communicate what she wanted it to say, or it didn’t embody the emotion she thought to convey, then she wouldn’t show it. The object would’ve failed. So I think that because the objects for her had to have a communicative power, clearly we feel that.”
To clearly show the extent of Bourgeois’ influence on Australian artists, her solo show is accompanied by ‘Louise Bourgeois and Australian artists’ – a collection of work by contemporary Australian artists who cite Bourgeois as having had a direct impact on their work. Smith describes the proposition of this show: “it’s all very well to say that she’s had a tremendous impact on Australian artists and artists around the world – well let’s see it, it’s as simple as that.”
The two exhibitions at Heide Museum of Modern Art are prominent showcases of one of the world’s most influential artists. Not only do they cover the turbulent, political, and emotional career and life of Louise Bourgeois, but importantly trace her legacy in contemporary art, expanding our experience of her work into new realms of art and life.
Heide Museum of Modern Art
November 24, 2012 to March 11, 2013
Melbourne
Knife Figure, 2002, fabric, steel and wood, 22.2 x 76.2 x 19.1cm
Spider, 1997, steel, tapestry, wood, glass, fabric, rubber, silver, gold and bone, 449.6 x 665.5 x 518.2cm
