Through sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and textiles, artist Kiki Smith explores the human body and the natural world. Her interest in the body began early in her career. In 1976, Smith joined Collaborative Projects Inc., an artist collective in New York where she worked odd jobs, including as an electrician’s assistant, leading her to consider the body anew. “Electricity is like a pulse,” she noted, “Our bodies are electrical systems. Everything is going positive, negative, positive, negative. That gives you the chance to change your life. It’s not a continuum.” Early works fused this fascination of the body with an interest in feminism, viscerally confronting the social, cultural, and political roles of women. More recent works have extended this focus to explore women in relation to mythologies, folklore, and nature, depicting female figures alongside animals and the cosmos.

–From the Glenstone Field Guide