Keeping Those Legs from Touching Each Other 1975

Rebecca Horn made this curious case of objects entitled, "Keeping Those Legs from Touching Each Other." The case is lined with two rows of restrained objects. The first row holds discs that seem to hover over neatly folded white bandages. Below, we find another row, where bandages are restrained and isolated by metal braces. I love to imagine Rebecca in her studio, figuring this all out. I can see her, so focused on the absurdity and, let's face it, the impossibility of the task she has set for herself! I wonder if she’s thinking about the discomfort of bodies, how awkward it is to be in one, and all the effort we expend trying to contain it. It reminds me of other artists who explore the body, like Louise Bourgeois, but also painters like Philip Guston who embraced the clumsy, awkward, and visceral aspects of the human experience.