Eye Benches II 1997

Louise Bourgeois created Eye Benches II, and what I love about it, is the way it stares right back at you. Crafted from granite, each eye is smoothed and shaped, but retains a certain rawness, a heaviness. The cool, solid stone gives these eyes a weightiness, as if they carry the burden of seeing everything. Look closely, and you’ll see the subtle play of light on the curved surfaces, the way the granite seems to absorb and reflect the world around it. These aren't just eyes; they're witnesses, guardians. Bourgeois often explored themes of memory, trauma, and the body. There’s something Freudian about them, like a surrealist object by Magritte or Dali, inviting you to sit, to be seen, to reflect on the act of seeing itself. It's unsettling, but that's what makes it so engaging.