Highly suggestive forms recurring throughout Bourgeoisâ works are potential visual metaphors that might have found their way into her works from her own childhood days subject to incest. Curvilinear lines, organic shapes, seeds, roots, opening flowers hint to parts of the body. The spider that catches bothersome mosquitoes is called âa friendâ perhaps a symbol of her mother or maternal figure.
In her portraits, often a combination of the real and surreal, Bourgeois treated the human figure as a vehicle to be in touch with her fears desires and vulnerabilities. Child birth, motherhood, gender fluidity are topics she explores in her works. She saw psychological correspondences in elements such as wind storm and rivers, seeds and germination.
What is “Bindas” one might ask? It is the quality of effortless spontaneity. It is the humor in her works that faces the truth with mild detachment which is perhaps the most attractive element of Bourgeoisâ work! Having dealt with taboos in her own life, she is the rare woman who deals with sexuality with disarming, albeit slightly comical candidness. In other words, Bourgeois’ work has oodles of Bindass!
