Berlinde de Bruyckere: Schmerzensmann

Belgian artist Berlinde de Bruyckere works in wax, wood, wool, horse skin and hair, among other materials, creating compelling forms that suggest distorted human and animal bodies. Her figures are often faceless and fragmentary, perched precariously on high stools or suspended from walls, ceilings or tall iron columns. Each of the eight works illustrated here is photographed from multiple views and approaches, offering the reader their intricate "skin" textures and presence at closer range than would be possible if one were standing in front of the works in a gallery. De Bruyckere was born in Ghent in 1964, and came to international attention at the 2003 Venice Biennale, and has since shown in Paris, Berlin and London.