Roussée

Abakanowicz’s Roussée (meaning “scorched”) is a visceral response to the devastation of Poland during WWII. Woven in fiery tones of orange and red sisal, its uneven surface evokes a landscape marked by destruction and resilience. The work integrates horsehair and an open “slit,” forms that became central to Abakanowicz’s sculptural language. Here, ovoid, bodily shapes converge with the contours of land—at once erotic, corporeal, and topographical—offering one of her most literal meditations on trauma and survival.