The Mori Museum in Tokyo has a spider by Louise Bourgeois. We also saw one in Spain, at the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

The spider is a recurring motif in Louise Bourgeois’ work—a mother figure.

The friend (the spider – why the spider?) because my best friend was my mother and she was deliberate, clever, patient, soothing, reasonable, dainty, subtle, indispensable, neat, and useful as an araignée. She could also defend herself, and me, by refusing to answer ‘stupid’, inquisitive, embarrassing personal questions.
I shall never tire of representing her.
I want to: eat, sleep, argue, hurt, destroy
Why do you?
My reasons belong exclusively to me.
The treatment of Fear.

In Tate.