CHRIS FREMANTLE

Louise Bourgeois‘ Stitches in Time Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, March 6 – May 9, 2004.
This was a fantastic exhibition which clearly placed Bourgeois’ work in the tradition of the surrealists. My understanding of her surrealism moved from a fact to an experience. The early prints in the show are a fascinating insight into the root of the work. The exhibition contains a number of works made from fabric. This is apparently the first time that Bourgeois has actually used sewn fabric, although she grew up in a family involved in tapestry. I saw Bourgeois’ show at the Serpentine in London some years ago. It was also fantastic, previewing with the giant spider in the central space the towers and spider in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern. This exhibition was more personal if one could describe some parts of her work as more personal than other parts. Bourgeois shares her fears with us – by making them real she shows us that they can also be beautiful.