Among Smith’s most notable works is her Virgin Mary sculpture, an almost life-size wax depiction of the venerated Christian figure; displayed without skin – with the exception of her head, breasts, hands and genitalia – the figure is not anatomically discernable from that of any other female figure and Smith is confronting the viewer with the question of: was Mary simply human, or is the female body sacred?
« Artists live in unknown spaces and give themselves
over to following something unknown. »
Kiki Smith
As a member of the Colab artist collective, Smith was inspired by their radical use of unconventional materials and political leanings, printing numerous posters throughout the early 1980’s containing political statements; Smith has also wor
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Among Smith’s most notable works is her Virgin Mary sculpture, an almost life-size wax depiction of the venerated Christian figure; displayed without skin – with the exception of her head, breasts, hands and genitalia – the figure is not anatomically discernable from that of any other female figure and Smith is confronting the viewer with the question of: was Mary simply human, or is the female body sacred?
« Artists live in unknown spaces and give themselves
over to following something unknown. »
Kiki Smith
As a member of the Colab artist collective, Smith was inspired by their radical use of unconventional materials and political leanings, printing numerous posters throughout the early 1980’s containing political statements; Smith has also worked with tapestries, noting that they give her the opportunity to create on a larger scale and work with a wider range of colour.
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