The sculptor Louise Bourgeois began weaving experiences and feelings from her own life into her art at an early age. But it was not until she was in her 80s that she began sewing and mending fabric. It was in her blood: her mother ran a tapestry workshop in a suburb of Paris, and her father ran a gallery where he sold tapestries and antiques. Bourgeois’s turn to textiles in her final creative years was thus a return to her roots. The Woven Child at Gropius Bau is the first exhibition dedicated to Bourgeois’s textile works. Over 80 drawings, sculptures and installations use clothes, fabrics and memories as material to address the experience of aging. In them, Bourgeois examines what it means to be a woman, a daughter, and a mother. The work commemorates Bourgeois’s mother, exploring the idea of repair as a social metaphor for the first time.
Just as Bourgeois’s mother mended holes in precious fabrics in her workshop, sewing became a way for Bourgeois to reassemble things, overcome separation and find healing. Finding peace through fabric is a common thread running through this impressive show. Although the melancholy and enigma inherent in Bourgeois’s work remain prevalent as her career draws to a close, there is something conciliatory about the works. There is a sense of empathy that allows you to experience Bourgeois as both an artist and a human being. In her confrontations with the great themes of life – love, death, pain and forgiveness – one can also learn a lot about oneself, and that is precisely why this exhibition is worth seeing.
Text: Laura Storfner / Credit: The Easton Foundation/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2022, Photo: Luca Girardini & Credit: The Easton Foundation/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2021, Photo: Christopher Burke
Gropius Bau, Niederkirchnerstr.7, 10963 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child, until 23.10.2022, Wed–Mon 10–19h. Tickets €9 (€6 reduced)
@gropiusbau
