Untitled 1965

Alina Szapocznikow made this untitled sculpture from plaster, and I'm seeing a lot of openness in its construction. It's like she's letting the material itself guide the form. The texture here is really speaking to me, it's rough, almost crumbly, especially around the lips, which gives it this really raw, visceral feel. The plaster isn't trying to hide what it is, it's right there on the surface. Look closely and you'll notice that the form is a pair of lips, but also that these lips sit atop a long, delicate stem. It’s kind of funny and also a bit disturbing all at once. Szapocznikow was interested in exploring the body, often in fragmented and unconventional ways. When I see Louise Bourgeois’s sculptures, or the paintings of Maria Lassnig, I get a similar sense of fearless curiosity. What do you think?