Magdalena Abakanowicz: The Thread of Existence – A Review
Magdalena Abakanowicz’s art is a testament to the power of the human body and the collective oneness that it represents. Her sculptures, displayed in the exhibition “Magdalena Abakanowicz: The Thread of Existence” at Musée Bourdelle in Paris, showcase her unique ability to transform faceless anonymity into a powerful unity.
The exhibition features around 80 works by Abakanowicz, including large textiles, sculptures, and drawings created from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Despite being censored in Communist Poland for being too formalist, Abakanowicz’s work gained recognition on the international stage. She participated in prestigious events such as the Lausanne Tapestry Biennials and the São Paulo Biennial, ultimately representing Poland at the Venice Biennale in 1980.
Abakanowicz was part of the Eastern European arts movement that celebrated the human body’s spiritual vitality, in opposition to the socialist ideology of industrial productivity. Her sculptures, known as “abakans,” draw inspiration from traditional Polish gobelins but exude a raw earthiness and sensuality through their natural fibers and elemental shapes.
One of the standout pieces in the exhibition is “Abakan Orange” (1971), which evokes a fiery, plasmic energy with its vibrant color and suggestive forms. Another striking work, “Abakan Red” (1969), features a tension between softness and hardness, flaccidity and tautness, embodied in its intricate textures and protruding elements.
Abakanowicz’s sculptures always maintain a connection to the human form, even in their most abstract shapes. Pieces like “Black Garment” (1975) use movement to enhance the viewer’s perception, shifting from a flat surface to a voluminous form reminiscent of draped fabric on a body.
In the final section of the exhibition, Abakanowicz explores the idea of collectivity through sculptures like “Standing Mutants” (1992–94) and “Crowd V” (1995–97), which depict monolithic animals and headless human bodies in resin-soaked burlap. Despite the foreboding atmosphere of control and domination, these sculptures also convey a sense of ritualistic power and unity, with faceless figures representing the anonymity of the collective.
“Magdalena Abakanowicz: The Thread of Existence” at Musée Bourdelle is a captivating journey through the artist’s exploration of the human body and the collective spirit. The exhibition, curated by Ophélie Ferlier Bouat with Jérôme Godeau, Colin Lemoine, and Margaux Coïc, runs until April 12 and offers a profound reflection on the organicity and interconnectedness of humanity.
