For his third show for Sadie Coles HQ, Urs Fischer transforms a storage space in Mayfair into a scene of gloomy contemplation. In this exhibition entitled Uh..., perhaps to reflect the moment of revelation or contemplation of its content, there is a work that could be described as ‘a volume sculpture’. An investigation of space, the work is a continuation of the artist’s exploration of vanitas previously manifest in skeletons and melting bodies of wax (as in his first show for HQ that included What if the phone rings (2003)). Talismanic, the installation possesses a physical presence so audacious that surprises and shocks in equal measure.
Spontaneous and unpredictable, Fischer says ‘My work never ends up looking the way I intended... all that matters is if the artwork takes on a life of its own.’ Many of his pieces begin in play and consistently evidence their experimental evolution, even when highly finished, and they often appear in a state of decay or metaphysical transformation. If the entropic space between opposites is one of Fischer’s staples, the alchemy of the commonplace is another – furniture and fruit being among his favourite subjects. Brimming with voodoo or shamanistic energy, Fischer’s works positively palpitate with anthropomorphism, eliding definition between beautiful and ugly, elegant and awkward, graceful and burdened.
Urs Fischer was born in Switzerland in 1973. He has had solo shows throughout Europe and USA, including Urs Fischer: Kir Royal, Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland (cat.) and Pompidou Centre, Paris (cat.), both in 2004. His work has been included in numerous group shows including the Venice Biennale in 2003, 2005, and 2007 and is currently on display in Fracture/Figure at DESTE in Athens, Greece.
