Louise Bourgeois and the mother of spider sculpture

French-American artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) received little recognition from the art community until she was in her seventies. Now considered one of this century’s most distinguished artists, her works deeply resonate with a far-reaching audience in their bold confrontation of universal emotions.

During her prolific seventy-year career, Bourgeois’ installations, sculptures, drawings and material-works focussed upon notions of fear, anxiety, jealousy and love. Her big, black spider-sculptures have become synonymous with her name. Her work explores ideas of intimacy, suppressed childhood emotions and the family unit. Many of her works have taken the form of strange, organic sculptures which, while resembling parts of the body, avoid definition due to their ambiguous, amorphous appearance.

One of Bourgeois’ most well-known works is the huge 35ft high spider sculpture Maman which appeared in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern, London, in 1999. Despite its fearsome appearance, the spider is a loving tribute to Bourgeois’ mother, who was a tapestry maker; Bourgeois recalls her working with thread, like a spider constructing a web. Maman is a powerful, gentle protector.

The imposing image of a spider appears again in Femme, the latest exhibition of Bourgeois’ work at The National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík (until 11 September).

This major show displays twenty eight works including the installation piece Cell (Black Days) (2006) which is displayed for the first time. Bourgeois' Cells represent different types of pain for the artist; the physical, the psychological and the emotional. Translating emotions into objects, her art has provided an avenue through which she has explored her unconscious and often painful emotions.

While Bourgeois' artwork is highly personal and autobiographical, the strength of the work is in its ability to appeal to so many. Bourgeois explores emotions felt by every individual and has created artworks that unnerve and confuse. Her spider is unsettling but powerful and elegant, her Cells explore the idea of looking and being looked at, and her sculptures remind us of parts of our body which have somehow gone wrong. Her art encourages the viewer to make their own subjective associations with the work finding meaning in the works through their own experiences.

As Bourgeois said: "A work of art doesn‘t have to be explained... If you do not have any feeling about this I cannot explain it to you, I have failed.”

Rachel Mulvaney