Alina Szapocznikow: Body Languages: Körpersprachen / Body Languages

Pouting mouths, marble belly folds and skin-like shells distinguish Szapocznikow's influential exploration of erotic objects, memory and plasticity in the realm of sculpture

The central focus of Alina Szapocznikow's (1926-73) works is the human body, through which she uncompromisingly thematizes the fragility of existence and the paradoxes of life. Her tireless investigation of unconventional materials and forms marks her as a pioneering artist who--alongside Benglis, Bourgeois and Hesse--made fundamental contributions to contemporary sculpture. This bilingual (English/German) monograph centers around 13 brief texts on her works by renowned scholars, addressing such key topics as casting, erotic objects, memory, fragmented bodies and plasticity.