Kiki Smith

 Kiki Smith, Mary Magdalene, 1994 Cast silicon bronze and forged steel.

I mentioned Kiki Smith in previous assignment, but I want to go into more details about some of her works. The media she uses varies. Throughout her long extensive career she has used various types of medium such as paper such as blue Nepal paper, glass, bronze, paper mache, aluminum, etc. Her art works varies if she wants it to be a narrative, conceptual, or something she felt like making. A lot of her art works are meant to be examined carefully because they usually have a message. Some of her works are meant to evaluate society’s perception about women, the human body, life and death, resurrection, religion, society and her life in general.

Donatello, "The Penitent Magdalene", c. 1453-55,
Wood with polychromy and gold

Her sculptural works are not traditional as the ideal figure like Greek sculptures viewers tend to consider as art. Many look like normal women with large hips, thighs, and abdomen. Some look like self-portraits, but they don’t have the hyper realistic characteristics. She goes deeper into the religious viewpoints perceived by societies by creating works such as Mary Magdalena which gives this relationship with the mythological or religious and biological. The medium is cast silicon bronze and forged steel. It depicts a life size replica of Mary with a chain on her feet and what appears to be flayed skin. In an interview, Smith sculpture was placed outside of a German museum. It was supposed to be considered hairy like the wild men of what is now Germany. Mary is looking up in a slouched almost exhaustive manner as she takes another step. The piece is very interesting because the face, breast and abdomen are smooth compared to the rough texture of the other skin. The work can be comparable to Mary as a hermit (after the passing of Jesus) in Donatello’s wood piece The Penitent Magdalene.

Kiki Smith, "All Souls" (1988), Screenprint on thirty-six attached sheets of handmade Thai paper.

Her sketches and prints are an extensive part of her career, as well. Many are related to fantasy, the function of the body, life and death, society, etc.  The piece All Souls, is a large rectangular screen print made from many Thai white paper. It depicts numerous baby fetuses in a pattern ranging from scale of small to large. She also displays the images like in a heavy black outline providing further meaning to the work. She made this piece to force viewers to see this disregard we have over the young or population. The medium she uses is Thai paper which enhances the meaning.

Kiki Smith, Virgin Mary, 1992  
beeswax, microcrystalline wax, cheesecloth, and wood on steel base
 67 1/2 x 26 x 14 1/2 in

Many of her works can be considered sinister. It is creepy in my opinion to view Virgin Mary nude but with the same blessing or welcoming pose with the gesture of her arms and hands. Her skin seems to have large gashes to display the muscles throughout her face and body except the breast. She is a full size figure made of microcrystalline wax. I like her pieces even if they are flayed or dissected. It can be sinister or can show the beauty of the body and how it functions within us.

Smith’s career has given an entire array of artworks it’s difficult to put in any blog. I like most of them. Her sculptures and installations are definitely inspirations for younger artists.