99세의 예술가- 루이스 부르주아

Louise Bourgeois still vigorous at 99

 

The flower paintings exhibited at Kukje Gallery in Sogyuk-dong, central Seoul, demonstrate such daring lines and intense red colors that not many would imagine it was done by a 99-year-old artist.

But the fact becomes comprehensible when told that it was Louise Bourgeois, one of the most renowned feminism artists of the late 20th century, who painted them.

In Korea, she is well-known for her giant spider-shaped-sculpture "Maman" placed on the front yard of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, central Seoul.

The French sculptor and painter, still passionate about her work, made several new pieces for her Seoul exhibition "Les Fleurs" during the last three years sitting on her wheelchair.

"Her body is getting old but she is still sound in mind. She seems to be still full of ideas. We are grateful to have found her and to be showing her latest works," said Lee Hyun-suk, director of Kukje Gallery.

Bourgeois could be called a late bloomer, as her work was recognized in the art world only after she entered her 60s.

But since her late debut, she managed to conquer so many genres -- from elegant drawings and monumental bronzes to hand-sewn patchworks, dolls and room-sized installation works.

She was the first female artist to hold a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1982 and was awarded the Lion d'Or at the 48th Venice Biennale in 1999.

At the exhibition currently underway, Bourgeois is displaying 29 paintings and three sculptures, including some that are showing for the first time.

"For Bourgeois, the purpose of this exhibition was to find out what was the most important thing in her life. She said that it was 'sexuality,' which has been the main theme of her work for a long time," said Yu Jin-sang, an art critic.

The underlying concept of sexuality in her works was provoked by her father. He has been involved with a lot of women, and young Bourgeois was especially shocked to find out about her father's affairs with her resident tutor.

Since then, she wondered about the origin of men's lust or what it means for a woman to meet a man, and sublimated her thoughts through art. At Kukje Gallery, visitors can peek into her thoughts shown on flower drawings and sculptures.

"Flowers are like letters that I cannot send. It helps me forgive my father's infidelities and soften my hostility. Flowers are like forgiving letters that talk about rebirth and compensation," Bourgeois has said.

In her latest works, Bourgeois took a step further and expanded the sexuality concept into motherhood and women. She adopted flowers also as symbols for women, motherhood and vitality.

Paintings of a pregnant woman or red flowers with five buds -- in which each bud represents one of her five family members -- show glimpses of Bourgeois' maternal love.

The exhibition runs through March 31 at Kukje Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 733-8449 or visit www.kukjegallery.com

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young