Louise Bourgeois
Cell I, 1991, Painted wood, fabric, metal, glass, 210.82×243.84×274.32cm. Collection of the Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. โ The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, New York/SACK, Seoul, 2024.
Doors act as walls, their paint peeling; inside lies a gaunt iron bed, glass bottles and medical devices clutter the bedside. A scene that hints at the occupant’s ongoing isolation, their various psychological barriers. The sentences, embroidered with red thread across the old mattress, are excerpted from the artist’s own diary. The artist reproduces her memories by maintaining a taut distance from the viewer even as she accesses her most personal self, symbolizing the ambivalent feelings of protection and isolation. Her works depict the intricate relationship between memory, anxiety, and desire. Notably, Cell I recounts a memory of her mother, who was bedridden throughout her childhood. French-born artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) established herself as one of the most influential artists of her time through a lifetime of works delving into her personal experiences.
