來看大蜘蛛 / Come see the big spider

之前富邦美術館推出的羅丹特展及典藏展，雙展門票要價一千兩百元台幣，引發了不少論戰，相較於台北市立美術館三十元至十五元的門票，故宮博物院北部院區三百五十元至三百二十元的門票，雖然，富邦美術館之所以訂出的這樣的票價，是基於使用者付費原則，但是，對於許多市民來說，這是一個難以接受的價錢，可能是之前被拿出來討論，這次，我所參觀的路易絲・布爾喬亞特展門票三百元台幣，已經算是個可以接受的價錢。

我想，對於這位已故的藝術家，最出名的作品就是巨型蜘蛛雕塑，所以，一進門，就可以看到這件作品以最顯眼的方式展現在眾人面前，透過講解機解說，對於藝術家而言，母親是影響她最深的人，而蜘蛛代表母親「聰明、耐心、編織、養育、保護」等特質，不是以蜘蛛是一位殘忍的獵食者的角度切入，其實撇除蜘蛛雕塑作品，藝術家的作品從雕塑、繪畫到裝置藝術，探索各式主題，包括家庭、性、身體、死亡與潛意識。

展場有三大展區，分別是「第一章：不要遺棄我」、「第二章：剛從地獄回來」及「第三章：天空的修復」，呈現藝術家在七十年來的創作歷程，路易絲・布爾喬亞童年母親的重病，父親的外遇，對父親的矛盾情結，及在成為母親後，重新回想過往，及彌補心靈的受創，或許有著精采絢爛的人生，會給藝術家反饋更多創意，設計出更多別具特色的作品。

我覺得兩件巨型蜘蛛雕塑很震撼，但是作品背後的故事更讓人動容，很多繪畫作品很女性，採用粉紅色或是紅色，甚至有些異色感，像是幾具懸吊於空中的扭曲身體，應該是探討兩性與身體，藝術是她面對痛苦與創傷的療癒方式，美術館以路易絲．布爾喬亞的一件刺繡手帕作品上的字「剛從地獄回來，順便說一句，太精采了」作為這個展覽的主題，讓人無法不來瞧瞧啊。

Previously, Fubon Art Museum stirred up some debate when it launched the Rodin exhibition along with its collection exhibition. A combo ticket for both shows cost NT$1,200, which many people thought was too expensive. Especially, when compared to ticket prices at other institutions like the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (which charges only NT$30 to NT$15) or the National Palace Museum in northern Taipei (NT$350 to NT$320). Although Fubon justified the pricing under the “user pays” principle, a lot of citizens found it hard to accept. Maybe because of the backlash, the Louise Bourgeois exhibition I visited this time was priced at NT$300, which feels much more reasonable.

Louise Bourgeois, the late artist most famous for her giant spider sculptures, immediately makes an impression when you walk in. The iconic spider is right there, displayed in the most eye-catching way. Through the audio guide, I learned that for the artist, her mother was the most influential figure in her life, and the spider represents maternal qualities like intelligence, patience, weaving, nurturing, and protection—not the usual predator image people associate with spiders.

Beyond the spider sculptures, her body of work includes sculpture, painting, and installation art, exploring themes like family, sex, the body, death, and the subconscious. The exhibition is divided into three major sections: “Chapter One: Don’t Abandon Me”, “Chapter Two: Just Back from Hell”, and “Chapter Three: Mending the Sky”. These chapters trace over 70 years of her creative journey, shaped by her mother’s illness, her father’s affairs, the emotional tension with her father, and her later reflections after becoming a mother herself. It made me think: maybe having a dramatic life really does give artists more to work with and more inspiration for truly unique pieces.

The two giant spider sculptures were absolutely stunning, but what really moved me were the stories behind the works. A lot of her paintings had strong feminine energy, using pinks and reds, sometimes even with a surreal, unsettling vibe, like twisted bodies hanging in the air, probably representing gender and the body. For her, art was a way to process pain and trauma. The museum chose a quote from one of Bourgeois’ embroidered handkerchief works as the exhibition’s theme: “I’ve just come back from hell. And let me tell you, it was wonderful”. That alone makes it hard to resist checking it out.

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