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Lot Essay
'In most cases, I don't even think about the object, I think about a situation... what's going on between elements in a work. Not compositionally, but almost politically, and definitely structurally: a chair is never a piece of furniture for me, it is part of a situation that establishes a real clash in space. A situation means that things are forced to occupy a space together or alone'
(U. Fischer, quoted in Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York 2009, p. 63).
Created in 1997, Urs Fischer's Last Chair Standing is a playfully subversive self-portrait. Employing the chair as stand-in for the artist, Fischer creates a surreal metonym for himself as sculptor. Appearing impossibly fashioned from sculpted clay, globules of glue, and bundles of string, the quixotic form is rendered functionless as a seat, however in its hand-crafted aesthetic Last Chair Standing continues to playfully assert Fischer's presence as artist and mark-maker. Last Chair Standing takes its place within the art historical canon of artist's presenting empty chairs as symbolic self-portrait of sorts, which point to the artist's simultaneous presence as author of the work and absence, utilised by such diverse artists as Vincent van Gogh in his paintings or Bruce Nauman's sculptures.
The chair is a reoccurring icon for Fischer unifying his diverse and multifarious oeuvre as a surreal proxy for the human form. By appropriating this device, Fischer seemingly unpicks two art historical threads. A symbolic trope for portraying the artist, the chair is indicative of the artist's hand as it is a man-made object. When left vacant it appears as a stand-in for the artist, suggesting both presence and absence. The motif of the chair has developed in Fischer's oeuvre over the past 10 years, first appearing in Portrait of a Single Raindrop and You Can Not Win in 2003, where cigarette lighters were lodged jarringly through the seats of upended chairs rendering them unusable. In 2011, Fischer famously fashioned a wax candle cast from an office chair for the Venice Biennale, which remained lit for the duration of the Biennale. Fischer stated, 'in most cases, I don't even think about the object, I think about a situation... what's going on between elements in a work. Not compositionally, but almost politically, and definitely structurally: a chair is never a piece of furniture for me, it is part of a situation that establishes a real clash in space. A situation means that things are forced to occupy a space together or alone' (U. Fischer, quoted in Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York 2009, p. 63).
Informed by the artist's celebrated exhibition at Palazzo Grassi in 2012 where he presented his artist's studio as an installation, Fischer works across several media, incorporating materials as diverse as foodstuff, wax, taxidermy, mirrors and paint to explore the very essence of what it means to be an artist. Last Chair Standing comments not only on the role of the artist, but is also a self-reflective exploration into the practice of mark making. Crafted from wood, clay, silicone, latex paint, string, wire, caulk, wood glue Fischer exploits the pliability of the clay media, teasing and kneading at the clay, imbuing it with its own particular vernacular of form redolent of a hand crafted workshop practice. The artist maintains however that this aesthetic choice is a self-conscious critique of the art historical implications of his chosen means of production. The hand of the artist shining through, Fischer's artistic ethos is engrained in traditional sculptural techniques, producing refreshingly untraditional sculpture.
Fischer builds upon this art historical trope through the clash of idioms present in the title. By interchanging the 'chair' and the 'man' in this instance, we are now presented with a punning title which reads, 'Last Man Standing'. Never satisfied with just one reading of his art, Fischer's title also draws on inferences that due to the seemingly precarious facture of the chair itself that this indeed may be, the last one standing. Jessica Morgan's anthropomorphised discussion of Last Chair Standing further situates this work as representation of both man and chair, explaining 'apparently held together by string that prevents it from toppling over backwards, suggesting the excesses of a late night' (J. Morgan, quoted in 'If you Build Your House on a Bed of Rotting Vegetables', Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York 2009, p. 46).
(U. Fischer, quoted in Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York 2009, p. 63).
Created in 1997, Urs Fischer's Last Chair Standing is a playfully subversive self-portrait. Employing the chair as stand-in for the artist, Fischer creates a surreal metonym for himself as sculptor. Appearing impossibly fashioned from sculpted clay, globules of glue, and bundles of string, the quixotic form is rendered functionless as a seat, however in its hand-crafted aesthetic Last Chair Standing continues to playfully assert Fischer's presence as artist and mark-maker. Last Chair Standing takes its place within the art historical canon of artist's presenting empty chairs as symbolic self-portrait of sorts, which point to the artist's simultaneous presence as author of the work and absence, utilised by such diverse artists as Vincent van Gogh in his paintings or Bruce Nauman's sculptures.
The chair is a reoccurring icon for Fischer unifying his diverse and multifarious oeuvre as a surreal proxy for the human form. By appropriating this device, Fischer seemingly unpicks two art historical threads. A symbolic trope for portraying the artist, the chair is indicative of the artist's hand as it is a man-made object. When left vacant it appears as a stand-in for the artist, suggesting both presence and absence. The motif of the chair has developed in Fischer's oeuvre over the past 10 years, first appearing in Portrait of a Single Raindrop and You Can Not Win in 2003, where cigarette lighters were lodged jarringly through the seats of upended chairs rendering them unusable. In 2011, Fischer famously fashioned a wax candle cast from an office chair for the Venice Biennale, which remained lit for the duration of the Biennale. Fischer stated, 'in most cases, I don't even think about the object, I think about a situation... what's going on between elements in a work. Not compositionally, but almost politically, and definitely structurally: a chair is never a piece of furniture for me, it is part of a situation that establishes a real clash in space. A situation means that things are forced to occupy a space together or alone' (U. Fischer, quoted in Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York 2009, p. 63).
Informed by the artist's celebrated exhibition at Palazzo Grassi in 2012 where he presented his artist's studio as an installation, Fischer works across several media, incorporating materials as diverse as foodstuff, wax, taxidermy, mirrors and paint to explore the very essence of what it means to be an artist. Last Chair Standing comments not only on the role of the artist, but is also a self-reflective exploration into the practice of mark making. Crafted from wood, clay, silicone, latex paint, string, wire, caulk, wood glue Fischer exploits the pliability of the clay media, teasing and kneading at the clay, imbuing it with its own particular vernacular of form redolent of a hand crafted workshop practice. The artist maintains however that this aesthetic choice is a self-conscious critique of the art historical implications of his chosen means of production. The hand of the artist shining through, Fischer's artistic ethos is engrained in traditional sculptural techniques, producing refreshingly untraditional sculpture.
Fischer builds upon this art historical trope through the clash of idioms present in the title. By interchanging the 'chair' and the 'man' in this instance, we are now presented with a punning title which reads, 'Last Man Standing'. Never satisfied with just one reading of his art, Fischer's title also draws on inferences that due to the seemingly precarious facture of the chair itself that this indeed may be, the last one standing. Jessica Morgan's anthropomorphised discussion of Last Chair Standing further situates this work as representation of both man and chair, explaining 'apparently held together by string that prevents it from toppling over backwards, suggesting the excesses of a late night' (J. Morgan, quoted in 'If you Build Your House on a Bed of Rotting Vegetables', Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, New York 2009, p. 46).