Maman 1999

Are you scared of spiders? 🕷️ If your answer was yes, you might want to look away! ‘Maman’ is a vast sculpture of the eight-legged arachnid, created by the artist Louise Bourgeois in 1999. It’s one of the largest ever sculptures at over thirty feet high. Imagine standing in the shadow of its towering legs! Constructed from hardwearing bronze and stainless steel with marble, ‘Maman’ has been displayed in various outdoor locations since its creation. This photo shows the sculpture installed outside the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern in London. You can see the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral in the background! How is this different to the way we usually encounter works of art? The sculpture is removed from a formal gallery setting, which challenges traditional conceptions of art and status. How does the size of the sculpture inform your interpretations of it? The giant spider is scaled up to be overwhelmingly larger than life. This communicates an impressive sense of monumentality. However, ‘Maman’ held a personal significance for the artist. She stated that ‘all my work, all the subjects, find their origin in my childhood.’ According to Bourgeois, the spider was an autobiographical representation of her mother, a weaver who died when the artist was just 21. The title ‘Maman’ is the French translation for ‘mummy’, which creates a childlike impression. This sense of maternity is reinforced by the sac of unhatched eggs which Bourgeois has included beneath the spider’s steel abdomen. Inside this sac are 32 eggs, sculpted from marble. These eggs are symbols of protection and care, rejecting the fearful associations of the colossal spider. 🥚 What do you think? Is Maman a poignant tribute to maternity and childhood memories, or a nightmarish vision? You decide! 👇🕸️ Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham