Fiancee Foller Blanche 1971

Alina Szapocznikow made Fiancee Foller Blanche, probably using plaster and resin, though, like relationships, you can't always see what's underneath. This piece really gets under my skin, in the best way. The work has a raw, almost confrontational physicality to it, which is what Szapocznikow was all about. The stark whiteness of the figure contrasts with this fleshy, pink form beside her, something that seems like an arm but isn't. It’s like a shadow, a growth, a secret. The base looks almost like crumpled fabric, solid but delicate. That contrast of textures and forms, that push and pull between attraction and repulsion, it’s all there in the way she worked the material. It's not unlike something Louise Bourgeois might have made, or maybe Sarah Lucas, but somehow it feels uniquely Szapocznikow's. This piece is a reminder that art, at its best, doesn't give you answers, it just gives you a space to ask questions.