Maman in Proa

Installed in Proa’s esplanade, the monumental and emblematic spider Maman (1999) will be the prologue to the exhibition Louise Bourgeois: the return of the repressed. Thus, Proa will insert one of the artist’s capital works into public space, as was done at the Tate Gallery in London (2007), the Guggenheim Museum in New York (2008), and earlier the Guggenheim in Bilbao (1999).

Bourgeois wrote: “The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver.  My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.”

Made of stainless steel, bronze, and marble, Bourgeois conceived of this spider as a representation of the power and threat of her mother: to spin, to weave, to care for, to provide protection. Maman is the largest of the series of spider sculptures, measuring 9 meters in height and 10 meters in width.

After Buenos Aires, Maman will be exhibited in the Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro. Proa considers its esplanade as an expository space. In this case, Maman will be put into dialogue with the public, introducing the artist’s universe and interacting with the educational activities that are realized in the space.