REVIEW: Gagosian, Urs Fischer
Twenty minutes ago, I went to see Urs Fischer's new show, PLAY, at Gagosian
on 21s t street in Chelsea. If you’ve ever been to the space, you will know that it is an impeccably elegant, humongous room, with shiny floors, and perfect walls. It is capable of showing many impressive works and has hosted numerous museum worthy shows. This show is different.
Nine seemingly ordinary office chairs, which are various colors and shapes, move independently around the room to their own whim. Choreographed by dancer Madeline Hollander, the chairs require audience interaction, reacting to our movements as we walk around the room. I was baffled by the simplicity that the show offered; the work made me think of surrealism and childhood games, both of which have been a constant source of inspiration for Fischer’s work. In that sense this show does align with Fischer’s development, but in shape and form it does not look like his typical big, spectacular gestures. Since I know him and am a fan of his work, I was eager to see this show; but, I must say, I was a little disappointed. The reference to the game of musical chairs and the use of a choreographer without any music has a titillating quality to it. I really felt that the audience was thrown in as unwilling participants, changing the movement of the chairs with our presence. Honestly, it wasn't suggestive or magical enough. I was underwhelmed. Maybe after his big, shiny sculpture that Gagosian exhibited a few months ago in a Park Avenue bank uptown, Fischer wanted to demonstrate that he can still do “poor” simple things, but frankly I felt a little PLAYed.
Maya Fuchs-Bortolami, 17, is a senior in high school in New York City. She has been exposed to the art world her whole life and in recent years has considered art history a true passion. Maya intends to major in Art History in college. You can contact her through instagram, @mayafuchsbortolami, or through email,maya.fuchsbortolami@gmail.com.