Kiki Smith

Kiki Smith work is sculptures, drawings and prints. Her subject matter is the body as a receptacle for the knowledge, belief and storytelling. Later on her work she started a figurative tradition in the sculpture works by turning it inside out and creating objects and drawings based on the human organs, cellular forms and then human nervous system. Her body of work involved incorporating animals, domestic objects mythology's and folk tales. Life, death and resurrection are in many of Smith's installations and sculptures.  She uses materials ranging from wax, bronze and paper, her sculptures are often metaphors for deeper issues




Lying With The Wolf - She take the inspiration of life with communing with a wold, she took shelter with its pelt and being born from its womb. Her character embodies the complex, symbolic relationships between humans and animals. She was inspired by this work when she saw a picture of Genevieve sitting with the wolfs and lambs. She wasn't making images of people for a couple years and just wanted to make animals, but when she saw this picture she thought it was really important to put the two together. She didn't like the lambs so she stuck with the only the wolfs. 


Wunderkammer - Includes plants, animals minerals, coins religious relics, prints, anatomical models, body parts and medical instruments. It looks as if her gathering the of the items were always captivated and shows the new relationships and means that can surface when things are assembled. This is an example of a free-form collection of all things that can be rare and but marvelous. It is for sure a unusual rock and crystal formation. The goal with Wunderkammer's is to gather the knowledge that you know and explain it to the world, it's not just art but its the wonders.






Rapture - When i look at this picture i picture -  little red riding hood defeating the wolf. The women is standing over the wolf as "look at me, i have concurred the wolf, i am proud." Looking at this piece and studying it it shows violence and to an extent gender roles. She looks at fairy tales and looks at the possible differences. The girl and the wolf are joined at one and at other times they are companions. This piece may represent the sexual women release from the wolf's belly and presents the metamorphosis of the wolf into women, but we aren't sure so it leaves us questioning. 




Conclusion: I really like her work because it is a interconnected thread if work. They focus on a broad range of her pursuits from body parts to animals, and abstraction to self- portraiture. I love that her inspirations are the breath of art history and the decorative arts. I think that i like it so much is because i am really interested in the history of art and where it comes from but also the background behind it.