Kiki Smith, For David Wojnarowicz, 2000. Etching with aquatint, spitbite and sugarlift on Hahnemuhle paper, image: 23 3/8 x 19 1/4 in. (59.4 x 48.9 cm); sheet: 24 1/8 x 20 1/8 in. (61.3 x 51.1 cm). Signed, dated and numbered 4/75 in pencil.

In this etching by Kiki Smith, an octopus and spider are executed with exacting detail, down to the fur on the spider's joints and the suckers on the octopus' tentacles. In the Estate Project for Artists with AIDS, this work was dedicated to David Wojnarowicz, a painter, film maker, photographer, and performing artist known for his gritty, controversial, yet inspiring work.

Kiki Smith (B. 1954, Nuremberg, Germany) is a contemporary American artist who specializes in sculpture but also works in printmaking, paintings, drawings, and photography. Renowned as one of the most influential feminist artists, Smith often explores themes of social issues such as AIDS, gender, domestic violence, and the relationship between art and eroticism. Her work often transcends classification, often weaving elements of storytelling and narrations into the complex relationships of life, death, and resurrection she depicts in her art. Smith has received numerous awards in her lifetime including the Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture in 2000, the 50th Edward MacDowell Medal from the MacDowell Colony in 2009, and has participated numerous times in the Whitney Biennial.

Select Public Collections:
Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA)
Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, CA)
Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY)