TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Famous for her iconic spider sculptures, French-American artist Louise Bourgeois’ first large-scale solo exhibition in Taiwan opens at Fubon Art Museum until June 30.
Titled “Louise Bourgeois: I Have Been to Hell and Back. And Let Me Tell You, It Was Wonderful,” the exhibition features 60 works, including Bourgeois’ monumental “Spider” sculptures, and runs for three months.
After a successful run at Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, where it attracted over 200,000 visitors, the exhibition has arrived in Taipei.
Bourgeois, born in Paris in 1911, moved to the US after marrying an American art historian in 1938. Her work often explores themes of family, childhood trauma, and femininity.
In the 1990s, she began creating her renowned “Spider” series, symbolizing her mother as a clever, patient figure who weaves and repairs like a spider.
The exhibition showcases two of her iconic spider sculptures: “Spider”(1997) and “Crouching Spider” (2003). The former, part of her “Cell” series, features a cage filled with the artist’s personal belongings beneath the spider, while the latter is accompanied by a video installation that reveals Bourgeois’ vulnerability.
At the opening press conference on March 14, Jerry Gorovoy, Bourgeois’ longtime assistant and director of The Easton Foundation, shared heartfelt stories about their 30-year partnership.
Gorovoy recalled their first meeting, which began with a conflict, “I invited her to a group show I curated, but she was furious. I took her out for tea to calm her down, and on the way, she fell!”
“I helped her up and suddenly, she started to calm down — even a little flirtatious. That was the beginning of our trust,” said Gorovoy, “I realized that I was dealing with someone who emotionally had lots of anxiety”
“She was afraid to show her work. When she attacks, she is actually expressing her anxiety,” Gorovoy recalled.
Gorovoy explained that her work is powerful, but she is like “a mouse behind the radiator” — shy and anxious.
Over the years, Gorovoy’s role was to help her navigate these emotions, a dynamic that defined their deep bond.
Fubon Art Museum Director Maggie Ueng (翁美慧) shared her emotional connection to the exhibition, describing how Gorovoy’s stories brought Bourgeois’ world to life.
When asked if the iconic “Spider”sculpture could stay in Taipei permanently, Ueng joked, “I asked Gorovoy, but he said that it has to move on in two years. I guess I will just pray every day and hope for a miracle.”
The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections across eight galleries:
1.“Do Not Abandon Me”: A reflection on motherhood and femininity.
2. “I Have Been to Hell and Back”: An exploration of trauma and resilience.
3. “Repairs in the Sky”: A symbol of rebirth and hope.
To enhance the experience, the audio guide is narrated by Taiwanese pop icon Stella Chang (張清芳), adding a warm, local touch to the exhibition.
(Taiwan News, Lyla Liu video)
