Kiki Smith: A Gathering, 1980-2005

by Siri Engberg, Linda Nochlin, Marina Warner

Widely considered to be one of the most engaging and fascinating artists of our time, Kiki Smith has, over the past 25 years, developed into a major figure in the world of twenty-first-century art. Her subject matter is as wide-ranging as the materials her work has encompassed. In the 1980s, with her earliest figural sculptures in plaster, glass and wax, Smith developed an elaborate vocabulary around the forms and functions of the body and its metaphorical as well as physical relationship to society. By the early 1990s, she began to engage with themes of a more religious and mythological nature. Her re-imaginings of biblical women as inhabitants of physical bodies--rather than as abstract bearers of doctrine--led her to make series of sculptural works related to the figure of the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Lilith and others. The artist has more recently considered fairy tales and folk narratives as well as nurturing a growing menagerie of work concerned with animals and the natural world. Smith has now earned a considerable reputation as a virtuoso printmaker and draftsperson, and as a re-inventor of the startling sculptural possibilities present in materials ranging from paper and resin to bronze and porcelain. Organized by the Walker Art Center with the full collaboration of the artist, the exhibition Kiki Smith represents the artist's first full-scale monograph.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

312 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a student and you are working on a thesis, this is a good resource for revealing interviews and insights. The main body of the book are images of her work, which is also useful if you are comparing works for your research.

[Aaron the Pink Donut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful and informative whopper of a book (300+ pages). Covers all the major and minor works from this period. Very good reproductions in color and B&W. A must own.

[Hannah Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all of her best images, but good articles and an interesting interview!

[Ignace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really love her work and this book contains pretty much all of it in nice big pictures.