Urs Fischer’s large-scale installations and sculptures refers to elements traditionally evoked in painting—such as portraits, landscapes, nudes, and still lifes—in a profusion of rich and often impermanent sculptural materials. Whether utilizing food (Bread House, 2004) or more self-destructive mediums, such as soft wax that simply melts away, Fischer mines the endless possibilities of a particular material to introduce an additional dimension into the work: that of time. Imbued with their own mortality, his sculptures and installations cultivate the experiential function of art. Fischer incorporates elements of performance and Pop art to create an oeuvre that is distinctly current, and as witty as it is macabre. Born in Switzerland in 1973, Urs Fischer has gained acclaim with such emblematic exhibits as You at gallery Gavin Brown in 2007, and his participation in biennales. Greatly varying in scale, his sculptures relentlessly address the body, in turns exposed, destroyed or resuscitated. Both disquieting and captivating, his work constantly resonate with the history of painting and sculpture.
The Paris Autumn Festival is a festival of contemporary arts, embracing and combining different art forms. The Festival presents works that stand as references, involving approaches of an experimental nature by, inter alia, commissioning artists to create original works, it was founded in 1972 by Michel Guy, with support from President of the French Republic, Georges Pompidou.
Urs Fischer (b. 1973, Zurich) lives and works in New York. He has had solo shows throughout Europe and the United States, including those hosted by Kunsthaus Zürich (2004); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2004); The Modern Institute, Glasgow (2006); New Museum, New York (2009);The Brant Foundation, Greenwich, Connecticut (2010–11); and Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (2012). Fischer’s work has been included in numerous group shows, including the Venice Biennale (2003, 2005, and 2007).
September 13–November 3, 2012
