Magdelana Abakanowicz was born in 1930 near Falenty, Poland. She studied at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, and sought to escape from the conventional art forms through weaving. Abakanowicz creates sculpture in bronze, wood, steel, ceramic, and burlap. Her main subjects are human and animal figures presented in large groups of 50, 80, or 150 exemplars. Abakanowicz also works in drawing, painting, choreographing dances, and architectural projects. Her work can be seen in museums all over the world. Often in her work she explores the alerted reality created by groups of sculpture in a gallery while also drawing heavily upon her personal and family histo