Curious mice with ruby-colored eyes meander through an explosion of stars. Several of the small rodents sit up on their hind legs, beseeching the cosmos for a conversation. Only their words will remain unspoken—they are painted bronze mice and crystal stars, they’ve been scattered across the floor.
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This[1] is a sculptural installation by Kiki Smith, one of today’s leading American artists, who landed on the art scene in the 1980s with her powerful and provocative treatment of the human body. The examination of the physical form led to Smith’s deeply personal exploration of aspects of the natural world.[2] Here in the nocturnal animal and the stars, the connectedness of the earth and sky.
[1] Stars and Mice (detail), 1998
[2] Siri Engberg, A Gathering 1980-2005 (Walker Art Center of Art, 2005); Helaine Posner, Kiki Smith (Monacelli Press, 2005)
MOUSE INTERRUPTED 