Fomal Discription of "Born" by Kiki Smith

“Born” by Kiki Smith is a life size bronze sculpture of a deer giving birth to a woman. It was the first image I came across on the Internet of her work. My immediate response to this piece was curiosity. It made me curious of what the artist was trying to communicate with such a bizarre sculpture. My first thought was that it could be comparing humans to animals, and to show the similarities between us. It sparked my interest in this artist.

“Born” is a life size sculpture of a young doe giving birth to an adult woman. The woman is fully exposed except for her ankles and feet. She is lying on her left side with her hands to her mouth. The deer is standing with her two front legs parallel to each other, and her the hind legs a step apart. Although the deer's ears seem to be at attention, the rest of the body seems to be relaxed and natural.

After researching Smith's work, I've learned that she prefers the concepts of her art be open to interpretation by the viewer. The composition and placement of the subjects in the sculture give the work movement. Naturally, we read from left to right and this picture of the sculpture reads from left to right and high to low. The way the light plays off the bronze gives the monotone sculpture monochromatic hues. The life size scale of the deer and woman helps the viewer relate to the subject.

Although to some this image may be disturbing, I think it is kind of beautiful. I think that the story relates to the relationship between humans and animals, how similar we all are. I feel that it could also speak of the reincarnation of humans into other earth creatures. I love that this piece can be interpreted by different people, each in their own way.