Sydney International Art Series: Louise Bourgeois

Overview

When someone spots a giant spider, they take notice, even when it's simply a tall metal piece of art. Seeing one of Louise Bourgeois' towering arachnids is indeed a stunning experience; however, so is watching people clock her lofty works. Her Maman sculptures demand attention. They're the type of public art that audiences just want to sit around, soak in and commune with. They're photo favourites, too, of course — and one has just arrived in Australia.

This is the first time that Maman has displayed Down Under, with the world-famous piece arriving in Sydney as part of Sydney International Art Series. Bourgeois is one of three hero talents scoring a blockbuster exhibition during event, alongside Wassily Kandinsky and Tacita Dean.

The nine-metre-high, ten-metre-wide sculpture that Bourgeois is best known for is currently on display on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of NSW, towering over the historic South Building. The sculpture hails back to 1999, and boasts its name because it's a tribute to Bourgeois' mother. The artist described her mum as "deliberate, clever, patient, soothing... and [as] useful as a spider".

Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins

If you're keen to see Maman on home soil, Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? is running at the gallery from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024, boasting 120 different works — the most comprehensive exhibition of Bourgeois's work ever to grace a gallery in the Asia Pacific.

The Bourgeois exhibition is on display 13 years after the Paris-born artist passed away in New York in 2010, and after she stamped her imprint upon the art of the 20th century. Visitors will see her Arch of Hysteria work down in the gallery's underground Tank, textile works of the 1990s and 2000s, and plenty in-between.

Other highlights include The Destruction of the Father, which is among the pieces that've never been displayed in Australia before; Clouds and Caverns, which is rarely seen in general; and the mirrored piece Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, which shares the exhibition's moniker.

Alongside the display of art, there will be a free film series curated by the AGNSW's Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd. A heap of Louise Bourgeois' favourite flicks will be screened at the gallery's cinema, including 1958's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1971's Harold and Maude, David Lynch's Eraserhead, John Waters' Pink Flamingos and The Wizard of Oz.

Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins

Top image: installation of Louise Bourgeois 'Maman' at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins.