Pauper 1965

Alina Szapocznikow sculpted ‘Pauper’ using plaster, iron and other materials to create something really thought-provoking. You can tell that the process was a journey, a wrestle between the artist, the materials, and the emotions she was trying to communicate. I wonder what was going through Szapocznikow’s head when she was making this? I see a figure, distorted but also strong, with this kind of strange wheel integrated into the body. The textures are so rough and raw, like skin that’s been through a lot. There's this sense of weight and struggle, but also a weird kind of grace. The way she’s put these elements together – it’s like she’s pulling apart ideas about form and function, pushing back against traditional ideas. Szapocznikow’s work, like that of many artists, reminds us that we’re all in this ongoing conversation, riffing off each other, challenging each other. And, as in painting, sculpture can be this embodied expression that embraces the ambiguous.