Magdalena Abakanowicz

Magdalena Abakanowicz lives and has her studio in Poland. She is known as the artist who has changed the meaning of sculpture from objects to look at into space to experience, from the single figure into a crowd. She does not see art as decoration but considers it as a language beyond words, a message. During her life, she has already created more than 1000 human figures in burlap and resin and later in bronze, aluminum and iron. These figures are always faceless, shell-like negatives of human bulk. They can be found in groups of 20, 30, 40 or 100 in public spaces around the world. They constitute an interrogation, a warning, a lasting anxiety. In these groups, each sculpture is unique, each one has been individually elaborated by the artist. The largest ensemble, grouping 106 iron figures, each 3 meters high, has recently been installed permanently in Grant Park in Chicago. Another group of 112 life-size figures was installed in Poland in the Citadel Park in Poznan. There are other groups in Hiroshima, Japan; Perth, Australia; the Gori Collection in Italy; and the Wirt Collection in Germany. She also creates spaces for contemplation and experiences. These are permanent outdoor installations of groups of sculptures in chosen landscapes where nature’s wisdom meets man’s imagination.

In her recent exhibition at the Galerie Patrice Trigano, the artist allows us to learn about her doubts and uncertainties concerning human beings and visions of monsters.

Each of these sculptures is an unrepeatable work of art.

Magdalena Abakanowicz