The Alternative to Soteria*: the Spider Titan, Maman

Towering over round-eyed spectators, casting a midnight shadow in sheer daylight, Maman sees all: a guardian angel. A terrifying steel figure to behold, yet directors keep their fingers glued for the spider to torment their art galleries. For one, this is a dilemma. Upon scrutinisation, it is conspicuous why. Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride that I introduce Maman. Albeit, the blockbuster sculpture starts with the artist: Louise Bourgeois.

Born into a family that sold and wove tapestries, Louise Bourgeois' mind was filled with more lines and circles than anyone else. She was drawn to the art of tapestries and worked in a laboratory with wood. Her first sculptures were lean wooden structures. She was thereafter fascinated with art and was internationally praised for her emotionally compelling autobiographical works. She sculpted prolifically over the course of her life, occasionally featuring abandonment, loneliness, and pain. She had suffered many losses including her husband, father, and mother. Nonetheless, her vitality and creativity lived on as she continued producing artworks. The most iconic, by far, is the 8 legged ‘monstrosity’: Maman.

Standing over 10m tall, level with the golden grand archways of a gallery, Maman is the most ambitious project to date. It resembles an escaped creature resurrected from the Underworld as it appears out of a wisp of smoke. This masterpiece stands on legs suitable for tap dancing, correcting the sense of stability and calmness. This sculpture is part of a series of spider-based artworks, stemming from a charcoal and ink sketch of a spider Louise created in 1943. The spider is black, sending shivers down the goosebumps and electric shock to the brain. Though, the true purpose of Maman is irrelevant to the red and black world. Maman is, based on French, mummy. What is the purpose of naming a spider their mummy?

Maman is an ode to Louise's mother, Josephine, who was precise and constructive. In essence, spiders and Josephine had many similar characteristics, a reason why Louise's mother took their form. Brave, fierce, and protective. Likewise, Josephine was the head of the tapestry business, and spiders are the master of weaving. Spiders are commonly symbolised as ‘disgust’ with their noses pinched and dismissed as ‘pests’, words unfamiliar to Louise. Spiders lick their lips at disease-spreading mosquitoes, which bring unrecognised and inaudible applause. When under the scale of the spider, a sense of an invisible blanket forms the unmistakable mark of protection: a child's perspective. Moreover, eggs are visible in the sac though the number is tossed left to right. This creates a double layer of protection, as the spider is battle-ready to fight for its young: an eye-watering structure.

Louise Bourgeois left behind a legacy one in a century could claim. She passed on innumerable priceless works, the most popular being Maman, the icon of love, protection, and vulnerability. Maman is on an emotional roll, as one looks up with a pierced heart. One additionally wishes it to be their own mother. May the invisible suit of armour haunt this world for eternity.

*Soteria is the Greek goddess of protection