The year I was born

There is a weird connection between mothers and dreams in 1999. The Guggenheim’s article describes the Mamam (1999) as a creature that escaped from a dream that has a powerful physical and psychological shadow. Well, my mother told me that having her firstborn in 1999, which is me was a dream come true. Discovering that she gave birth to a girl was the best because she knew that I will be the pillar. Zisanda is my name, meaning there is more to come and Louise Bourgeois continued making art pieces even after 1999.

 “Art is not about happy moments. Happy people have no stories, but if you have difficulties have trauma you keep repeating the trauma. You trying to process it, and that’s what fuels the work but there is no cure”. These are significant words with a deep meaning said by a very talented woman- Louise Bourgeois who sculptured a magnificent spider piece, Mamam (1999) in memory of her late mother that she lost when she was 21 years old. Its these sad stories that influenced her work.

Louise’s art pieces are said to be the results of misery, trauma, fear and unhappy childhood she had. As she says, “I am not what I say. I am what I do”. She’s known as a complicated woman who has so much anger but very talented. Her talent can be seen in her artwork. She started making gigantic spiders that are disturbing but popular because they have a frictional aura that draws one’s attention, but the most interesting and popular artwork is the Mamam (1999). The sculpture was a combination of her first drawing of a spider in 1947 and the continuity of 1996.

Mamam (1999) is a silver-grey steel three-dimensional sculptured spider which is 35 feet high and 33 fit wide which has an arachnid theme. The sculpture’s stomach and thorax are made up of textured bronze. Its abdomen has a sac that contains 32 marble eggs. This man-made spider is counted among the worlds’ most largest sculptured pieces. This magnificent piece was created in 1999 and featured in the inaugural commission of The Unilever Series of 2000, at London’s Tate Modern.

For Louise, a spider is clever, protective, patient, reasonable, useful hence she believed her mother who was a weaver possessed features of a spider. The sculptures’ big shadow portrays intimidation as she felt her mother was intimidating. She felt like she was beneath her mother, at the same time felt protected by her. The intimidation also portrays the strength of her mother and the ability to protect.

Ironically, the most interesting piece that was created in 1999 has a deep connection of a relationship between a mother and daughter. Sculptured by a woman who was not popular but highly talented. The inspiration behind was that of Louise’s pillar, her mother, of which is what my mother sees of me.

 The Minds Journal says, “Some people are artists. Some, themselves, are art”. Well, Louise Bourgeois is an artist and me, the 1999 baby is art.