Annette Messager (1943-)

Child's play .

Annette Messager has created her own universe of stuffed animals, limbs and teddy bears. It is a fascinating world that reflects the cruelty of childhood and children. Her automated trains of stuffed creatures flying in the air, or being dragged in a circle remind of torture, powerlessness and futility. Her imagery is original, exhibits various finds, and is very powerful and simple. One could argue that her work has not developped suffiently over the years and that she has remained in her own world, hardly connecting to the universe at large. Surrealist and feminist influences are present in her work, but are not overly stressed. Her work develops these currents in interesting directions. Messager's work is fun.

(Annette Messager was exhibited in the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2007. "Les Messagers".)

Copyright text 2007, by Jan Troost