Kiki Smith

Throughout her career, Kiki Smith has emphasized both the shared vulnerability and the formal and metaphorical relationships between animals, children, and women. Here, Smith presents two figures of comparable innocence and seeming fragility, stressing their similarities with delicate line work. Contributing to this vulnerability is the woman’s broken form, achieved by piecing together several sheets of wrinkled handmade paper (a paper that is, in fact, very strong, despite its appearance). Smith’s work also incorporates storytelling. The pairing of the woman and owl brings to mind the traditional Catholic iconography of a female saint with her attribute.