About meaning of sculpture

Art needs somebody to listen to its message, somebody to desire it, somebody to drink it, to use it like wine - otherwise it makes no sense.

What is sculpture? With impressive continuity it testifies to man's evolving sense of reality, and fulfils the necessity to express what cannot be verbalized.

Banished from Paradise, man found himself confronted by the space of the world. It was a territory unknown and inconceivable as inconceivable as are overabundance or emptiness. He tried to reach unknown powers, raising stones, building areas of special meaning
With the development of society, sculpture began to visualize gods, to glorify leaders, to commemorate history, finally to decorate life.
Today, we are confronted with the inconceivable world we ourselves created. Its reality is reflected in art.

From time to time a civilization falls into disgrace and art is destroyed by fanaticism and wars. This happens also today. However some monuments remain along the path, which for hundreds of centuries would be otherwise unmarked. Without these milestones of his spiritual odyssey man would be lost in darkness.

 
From the statement delivered by Magdalena Abakanowicz during the ceremony of conferring her the Award of International Sculpture Center for the Life Achievements . New York 2005.10.20