When I was growing up, all the women in my house were using needles. I've always had a fascination with the needle, the magic power of the needle. The needle is used to repair damage. It's a claim to forgiveness. It is never aggressive, it's not a pin.

The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. . . Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.

Once I was beset by anxiety but I pushed the fear away by studying the sky, determining when the moon would come out and where the sun would appear in the morning.

Every day you have to abandon your past or accept it and then, if you cannot accept it, you become a sculptor.

For me, sculpture is the body. My body is my sculpture.

The spider is an animal who eats mosquitoes. That's why I love the spider - it is the only way we have to deal with these insects.

Surrealism is anathema for me. Because the surrealists made a joke of everything. And I consider life a tragedy.