By Soomin Sophie Kang
Kiki Smith (American, 1954-) is having a solo exhibition in Monnaie de Paris. Much of her work rotates around the human body and organs, their connection with the outer world, and to the whole universe. The flow of the show was devised by the artist in a way that amplifies the ‘alternation,’ or juxtaposition of different materials and senses. The collection of her works incorporates widely different mediums, ranging from bronze, wood, and glass to wax and tapestry. Some are visually pleasing enough to make one marvel for hours, while others create a sense of (intentional) discomfort in the eyes of a beholder. With the apparatus of various materials and forms, she tries to investigate and arouse a sense of consciousness on our own body and world.
The first figures one encounters upon entering are terracotta-colored bronze sculptures of girls idling on the floor with sheep. Each girl and sheep are made to the size of an adult, and they seem to be unaware of sudden appearance of visitors. As the title Sleeping, Wandering, Slumber, Looking About, Rest Upon (2009-2019) suggests, the installations convey silent yet strong sense of peace. Originally this group of sculptures was intended to be set in a large green space for children; nevertheless, two large windows overlooking La Seine and the tall trees along the riverbank create a green, natural backdrop to an exhibition space that otherwise could have been a mundane museum hall. The theme of wandering here is in line with the recent exhibition that was held in Galerie Johann Widauder in Innsbruck, Austria, where two artist Beatrix Sunkovsky and Alfons Egger, together with an opera singer Alois Mühlbacher investigated the idea of wandering and romanticism . Visitors were free to walk in between the sculptures of Kiki, but went unnoticed, which evokes a feeling of peace and comfort, but at the same time loneliness and incompatibility.
Past the peaceful and pastoral scenery, rather raw, or authentic, depiction of human bodies and organs await the arrival of the visitors. The two sets of works, specifically Untitled (1995), and Untitled III (1993), display a real-size female body, completely naked, with the upper body bent over. The former is hanging from the wall, and the latter has its two feet firmly rooted on the ground that resembles ‘uttanasana’ posture in yoga. One could easily feel the footsteps picking up speed in this room because the figures make people uncomfortable. It is rare to see a person (or even a human-like figure) hanging from a wall except in a church. The inspiration of the sculpture was indeed from the Christ in a crucifix, where the artist’s personal background of coming from a Catholic family comes in. During the 1990s the artist focused on human body, its organs and fluids. Untitled III(1993) used beads as a medium to portray bodily fluids, depicting something visceral through very beautiful materials. The contradicting concept of the reality and the replica is what makes this piece especially memorable.
Halfway into the exhibition space is a room full of tapestries hanging from every wall. Six tall tapestries, mostly in blue, gold, grey, and white, surrounding the viewers is a part of a series of twelve tapestries that she created between 2012 and 2017. Surreally beautiful in color and dreamy in texture, the tapestries were inspired by medieval Apocalypse Tapestry (1377-1382) but with much lighter hue and atmosphere. These works not only show that the artist enjoys playing with different kinds of material, but also that she is extremely talented at storytelling. The ambience of the tapestries is somewhat similar to multicolored paintings and carpets by American artist Hernan Bas, who also draws upon medieval wall hangings for inspiration.
In a short video about the artist and her works at the end of the exhibition, she explains the concept of her ‘inventory’ of ideas. Every idea that came across her mind at one point but did not come to life is stored in the physical inventory in a form of ‘work in progress.’ Often, she goes back to her inventory and revisits the ideas from the past, and it is then that the ideas are reincarnated. Hence, one could understand her collection as a smooth convergence of newborn and revived works. The exhibition is open until Feb. 9, 2020.
Editor:
Born in Korea, raised in Japan and the US. Former financial analyst and gallerist that loves art, jazz, food, dogs and horses. Absolute introversion(though it’s hard to notice).
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