During WW2, Abakanowicz witnessed atrocities by the Germans. After the war, her family had to hide their aristocratic background in Communist Poland. Abakanowicz learned how to create art in the Social Realism era. In 1967 Abakanowicz began creating artwork made with fabric and tapestry. She became well known for a series called Abakans, which were monumental fiber sculptures that created the framework for her later work. For Androgyne III the body as a structure became an important aspect of the work and she often visited laboratories to learn more about the human body. It uses the same molded-torso that Abakanowicz used in another series. This piece is made out of burlap, resin, wood, nails, and string. The artist wants the viewer to focus on the humanity of the figures rather than their gender. And the fragmentary nature of the figure is a reflection of the time she spent working in a hospital during World War II and her memories of the attack on her mother. Abackonwicz utilizes her personal history but her sculptures possess an ambiguity that encourages multiple viewpoints that speak broadly about human experience. “It alludes to the brutality of war and the totalitarian state. The body is a husk without arms, legs or a head. It is an expression of suffering that is mournful and disturbing” (Khan Academy).
“Magdalena Abakanowicz, Androgyne III.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/global-contemporary/a/abakanowicz-androgyne.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum, www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1986.221a,b/.