"The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother." - Louise Bourgeois
I remember seeing 'Maman' for the first time in front of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. Every time I passed it (mostly on the way to cross the Alexander bridge to Gatineau), I thought for myself what could possibly be the motif of this extraordinary sculpture. It's pretty interesting to see it again, on the other side of the world.
