"Unrecognized" figures in Polish Landscape - Front Page - artist Magdalena Abakanowicz - Brief Article

A permanent installation by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz featuring 112 over-life-size, headless cast-iron figures was inaugurated on Oct. 19 in Poznah, Poland, about 200 miles west of Warsaw. Titled Unrecognized, the work is the latest public project by the artist known for large-scale outdoor pieces installed in Paris, New York, Washington, D.C., Jerusalem, Seoul and Hiroshima. It is one of several in her native land. Situated near the center of a tree-lined meadow in an urban park overlooking the town center, the work is part of the artist's ongoing exploration of the body and identity. Consistent with her strategy in previous works, Unrecognized, first proposed in 1996, focuses on the phenomenon of the crowd. Yet subtle variations in the natural rust patina and positioning of the legs make each individual figure unique. The installation was privately financed by VOX-Artis, a new foundation devoted to the promotion of contemporary Polish art.

Coinciding with the inauguration, Abakanowicz was honored by a number of other events, including a major exhibition of her works, "War Games and Mutants," curated by Ewa Hornowska, at the National Museum in Poznah. The show remains on view indefinitely. Abakanowicz, now 72, also received an honorary doctorate from the Academy of Fine Arts, Poznah, where she taught from 1965 to 1990.

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