雕塑家:瑪格達蓮納．阿巴卡諾維茲 ( 波蘭 ) Artist: Magdalena Abakanowicz ( Poland )

這次我到波蘭，有幸參觀瑪格達蓮納．阿巴卡諾維茲的展覽。當我進入展場，就被她的作品吸引。 她的作品大都體積龐大，並大量運用木﹑麻布等有機物料。她的作品揉合了大自然的形態﹐而且亦有人體的展現﹐表現出人和自然的微妙關係。 除了作品﹐令我驚嘆的是整個展館的佈置對作品的影響﹐尤其是燈光的安排﹐為展場營造壯嚴﹑寧靜氣氛﹐與作品互相配合。 瑪格達蓮納．阿巴卡諾維茲 (Magdalena Abakanowicz, 1930-) 是20世紀波蘭藝術家，雖然年屆七十，但對創作依然充滿熱情。 她的作品中，以「阿巴肯」及「無頭人」等系列吸引世人的關注。作品除了展現自然語言的強烈張力之外，更因其自身生長於戰亂以及戰後波蘭的特殊背景，使得作品表現出的真實感，迫使人重新思索人生各樣處境，並追尋生之起源，重新思索生而為人的真義。她並且發現，人與自然存在著一種巧妙的關係，與自然的和諧與親近，似乎能夠促使人進入與未知的造物主的更深一層關係。 這層關係的重建，能夠使得在戰爭中受迫害的人獲得情緒上的醫治，以及精神層面深刻的滿足，並且更進一步使人恢復生而為人的角色定位與確認。

Magdalena Abakanowicz was born in 1930 in the village of Falenty near Warsaw. From 1950-1954 she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. In the 1960s she began making work from one of-a-kind fabrics that, as a result of the special weaving technique she invented, gradually “tore themselves” from the walls, to finally become independent three-dimen-sional objects. She called these original pieces Abakans, after her own surname. They were first presented at the Fabrics Biennial in Lausanne in 1963, and over time entered the canon of world art, becoming the artist’s trademark. In the 1970s Abakanowicz began to create monumental series composed of rhythmically repeating sculptures, generally made of jute fabric, which she called Alterations. Her models were generally imprints of the human body. To begin with these with these were traces of adults, and later, children. In the 1980s she began producing work in the public space, in its widest definition. She used new materials for making these objects, including stone, wood and metal. This was also the first appearance of the stand-ing anthropomorphic figures, a recurring motif in her work. In the 1990s she developed her own concept of Arboreal Architecture – houses and gardens that were organic in form, with facades entirely covered in greenery. At the beginning of the 21st century, Abakanowicz’s art continues to de-velop at a pace uninterrupted for years. The artist is continuing themes that have concerned her for years, exploring them in different forms. She works in sculpture, painting, architecture, installations, and projects in public space. The exhibition of works by Magdalena Abakanowicz at the National Mu-seum in Krakow is her first show of its size at the institution. It allows us to get closer look at works from various periods of her development. It is not, however, a typical retrospective display. It has been created as a total work of sorts, a Gesamtkunstwerk. Unlike the monumental events of the Baroque era, however, this exhibit does not seek to merely delight with its splendor. While looking at this monumental, yet spare and for-mally minimal exhibition, it is worth recalling that the allegory used to create the pomp of a spectacle serves less to repeat, than to reveal and transfigure meaning that has been acquired. Abakanowicz’s art should be experienced with all the senses, which can lead to the discovery of much unexpected content, in as many different forms as there are visitors to the exhibition. The catalogue accompanying – and acting as an extension of – the presentation is also worth a look, as it features not only the works on display, but also various ways of ap-proaching this rich oeuvre. English illustrated by Dominik Kurytek, Thanks!