Untitled 1965

Alina Szapocznikow formed this intriguing sculpture out of plaster. The work presents a pair of lips, sensuous yet still, poised on a slender, almost fragile stem. I find myself thinking about the materiality of plaster—how Szapocznikow might have worked it, coaxing this form from a wet, yielding substance to a solid, enduring object. I imagine the repetitive action of building up the form, each layer contributing to the final shape. The surface is matte, not super-smooth, which gives it a tactile quality, as if you could reach out and feel the texture of the plaster. It reminds me of Constantin Brancusi’s sculptures, especially in its reduction to essential forms, but also of the Surrealists who embraced the bizarre and the uncanny. What did she want us to feel when we encountered it? Did she want to shock or seduce? This piece feels incredibly intimate and invites us to consider the complex relationship between body, memory, and desire.