Be Calme (October 1st - 31st) 2004

Editor: Louise Bourgeois’ “Be Calme (October 1st - 31st),” created in 2004, incorporates mixed media on paper. It’s comprised of linocut, pen, and what looks like colored pencil or crayon. It feels almost frantic, despite the title "Be Calme." How do you interpret this work? Curator: The image is indeed restless, isn't it? But consider the overlapping circles: they’re reminiscent of cellular structures, of connection and containment. Red, a potent color in Bourgeois' vocabulary, pulsates with the force of blood, of life itself. It represents the raw, exposed nerve endings of human experience. What could the orderly vertical stripes signify for you, set against these more amorphous forms? Editor: Order attempting to contain chaos, perhaps? Like trying to control powerful emotions. Curator: Precisely! The title "Be Calme" suggests a command, an imposition of order on the internal turmoil represented by the vibrant, almost visceral, shapes. Look at how some of the circles have these dark little points inside – could those be seeds of anxiety, the ever-present triggers under the surface? Editor: That’s a compelling interpretation. It also makes me think of calendar days passing. The dates in the title suggest the passing of time and the repetitive nature of feelings during that passage of time. Curator: Yes, time can act as both a healer and a relentless reminder. Bourgeois is inviting us to witness the act of grappling with the ephemeral, isn't she? That persistent negotiation of inner realities with the external world. It's a dance of control and surrender. Editor: I'm definitely seeing a new layer of meaning now, the dialogue between inner turmoil and the attempt to regain composure over time. Curator: It is in those tensions that we glimpse the truth about how symbols, colors and words help process human experience.