In a series of drawings called ‘dekenvrouwen’ (blanket women), Berlinde De Bruyckere introduces the human figure in her work in 1994. Sculptures follow this series of drawings, amongst others Spreken (Speaking). The sculptures are life-sized figures with realistic arms and legs, while the rest of the body is hidden under blankets. The bodies have been modelled in wax. The blankets form a kind of second skin – they function as a fur. These are pictures that include the duality of protection and suffocation, security and anxiety, safety and confusion, life and death. The blankets refer to the security of childhood, but at the same time to current pictures of the refugee camps.