“Androgyne III”. Magdalena Abakanowicz. 1985. Burlap, resin, wood, nails, and string.
Constructed from coarse materials, “Androgyne III” is commentary on the cultural sense of loss felt by the Polish when Hitler invaded in 1939. The devastation that Abakanowicz witnessed left her feeling hollow, with no sense of gender or any unique feature. The coarse material too speaks to the cold feeling that experiencing these traumatic events would leave her with.
As seen with previous examples, this almost-minimalist piece of art is largely social commentary and not intended to be aesthetically pleasing. It is intended to directly appeal to the audience’s empathy. It is supposed to elicit strong emotions of pity or regret for what the artist and her people went through.