Maria Bartuszova @ Tate Modern

This major retrospective highlights the abstract sculptures of Slovak artist Maria Bartuszová.

The exhibition starts in the 1960s, when Bartuszová created her own experimental method of casting plaster by hand. Inspired by playing with her young daughter, she found she could create pure abstract forms by pouring plaster into rubber balloons. She would shape the sculpture by pushing or pulling, or submerging it into water, creating uniquely beautiful organic shapes. Some are reminiscent of rain drops, seeds or eggs. Some suggest the human body, with maternal or erotic associations. In later works she allowed the balloons to burst, creating fragile, ephemeral works akin to cocoons or nests.