Magdalena Abakanowicz's Fiber Sculptures at Tate Modern

Tate Modern in London is hosting a major exhibition of Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930-2017), featuring her monumental sculptures made from sisal, jute, wool, and horsehair. The works, illuminated to cast dramatic shadows, incorporate animal horns, skins, shells, and cocoons. Abakanowicz, an aristocrat forced to live in a single room with her husband, channeled memories of Stalinist totalitarianism and WWII trauma into her art. She developed a harmonious language using natural fibers, which allowed her to remain in Poland and join the Association of Polish Artists. Her interest in immersive and performative art led her to experiment with craft and folk traditions, which were acceptable under the regime. She participated in the Lausanne Biennial (1962) and won the Gold Medal at the São Paulo Biennial (1965), using the prize to buy an apartment with a large loom. Her totemic, woven works hang from ceilings, evoking dark, hollow trees where one can seek refuge—a fascination rooted in her childhood hiding in a hornbeam tree. Abakanowicz described her Abakans as independent entities that shape the space we inhabit. She viewed fiber as the fundamental building block of life, saying, "Managing fiber means managing the occult of life." The exhibition runs until May 21, 2023.