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Lot Essay
"In many ways that's what sculpture is ultimately about: it stands for something that was alive. It might not be a grave for someone, but a tombstone for a thought." --Urs Fischer
A cat sits transfixed in the middle of the luminous glow of a desk lamp, looking up through a crudely cut out hole in the desk on which it sits. Mesmerized, the cat stares directly upwards, its stance relaxed yet poised, as if waiting for something. This incredibly simple yet positively complex mise-en-scene set up in Urs Fischer's 2004 sculpture Daylight Pillow is a prime example of the artist's positioning of the common and even banal objects from everyday life in strange and sometimes uncomfortable positions, allowing them to induce a certain emotional reaction from the viewer. Fischer is well-known for his proclivity to combine common objects, seen in the execution of his monumental Untitled (Lamp/Bear) sculpture in 2005-2006, resulting in an uncanny juxtaposition that causes the viewer to completely reimagine the objects. A conflation of jest, cultural and historical references, and sheer dark humor, Fischer's works probe the limits of the art space, pushes proverbial art historical buttons, and touch on a number of universal truths with his sharp and spot-on wit.
The cat in Daylight Pillow is by far the most provocative aspect of this sharply witty yet quizzical work. Present in a number of his sculptural installation, Fischer's cats are sleek, nondescript and often offer an elegant mimesis to another object within the installation, relying on their properties as objects rather than their meaning and are reminiscent of René Magritte's fantastical surrealist paintings of objects. The nondescript black cat acts as one of several traceable threads in Fischer's oeuvre and has therefore been one way that critics have sought to find implicit meaning in his work. "The cat," Swiss, Swiss art historian Bice Curiger explains,"[is] one of Fischer's preferred motifs, can be understood as a symbol of independence and elegance, of the lurking forces of superstition, and of dark, nocturnal powers. When presented as a victim it can also stand for childish cruelty" (B. Curiger, "Spaces Generated by Vision or Basements Save Windows," in Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, exh. cat., New Museum, New York, 2009-2010, p. 12). This form of explanation fits in both with Fischer's interest in using objects as avatars for specific human emotion, while also quoting directly from art history. From the regal Egyptian depictions glorifying cats to a godly status, to Edouard Manet's sly usage of a black cat, at Olympia's feet symbolizing infidelity, the cat is an obvious trope for Fischer, yet its symbolism is in no way simple and therefore answers few questions of its meaning in Daylight Pillow. The lack of discernible meaning is one of the things that make Fischer's work so stimulating; just as you begin to think you understand what his work is about, he pulls the proverbial carpet from underneath your feet and goes in an entirely different direction.
While large and extremely diverse, Fischer's body of work is unified through its continual presentation of the unexpected. Fischer has become known for his increasingly unpredictable and chameleon-like propensity to change in medium, style and method. His working method, however, can be seen as constantly aiming to juxtapose contrary situations, ideas or doctrine, drawing inspiration from a myriad of sources, ranging from his native German-Swiss experiences, to Western art history and popular consumer culture, all blended together often creating nonsensical or bizarre juxtapositions that the viewer is then left to decipher. Daylight Pillow uses archetypal and easily recognizable objects -- the cat, the table, the lamp, and even the light that it casts, to create a conflation of images that draws in a certain emotion or feeling for the viewer. A remarkable example of Fischer's prowess for pushing the boundaries of our conceivable reality, Daylight Pillow forces us to pause and reposition the banality of the everyday within his amusing and slightly satirical platform.
A cat sits transfixed in the middle of the luminous glow of a desk lamp, looking up through a crudely cut out hole in the desk on which it sits. Mesmerized, the cat stares directly upwards, its stance relaxed yet poised, as if waiting for something. This incredibly simple yet positively complex mise-en-scene set up in Urs Fischer's 2004 sculpture Daylight Pillow is a prime example of the artist's positioning of the common and even banal objects from everyday life in strange and sometimes uncomfortable positions, allowing them to induce a certain emotional reaction from the viewer. Fischer is well-known for his proclivity to combine common objects, seen in the execution of his monumental Untitled (Lamp/Bear) sculpture in 2005-2006, resulting in an uncanny juxtaposition that causes the viewer to completely reimagine the objects. A conflation of jest, cultural and historical references, and sheer dark humor, Fischer's works probe the limits of the art space, pushes proverbial art historical buttons, and touch on a number of universal truths with his sharp and spot-on wit.
The cat in Daylight Pillow is by far the most provocative aspect of this sharply witty yet quizzical work. Present in a number of his sculptural installation, Fischer's cats are sleek, nondescript and often offer an elegant mimesis to another object within the installation, relying on their properties as objects rather than their meaning and are reminiscent of René Magritte's fantastical surrealist paintings of objects. The nondescript black cat acts as one of several traceable threads in Fischer's oeuvre and has therefore been one way that critics have sought to find implicit meaning in his work. "The cat," Swiss, Swiss art historian Bice Curiger explains,"[is] one of Fischer's preferred motifs, can be understood as a symbol of independence and elegance, of the lurking forces of superstition, and of dark, nocturnal powers. When presented as a victim it can also stand for childish cruelty" (B. Curiger, "Spaces Generated by Vision or Basements Save Windows," in Urs Fischer: Shovel in a Hole, exh. cat., New Museum, New York, 2009-2010, p. 12). This form of explanation fits in both with Fischer's interest in using objects as avatars for specific human emotion, while also quoting directly from art history. From the regal Egyptian depictions glorifying cats to a godly status, to Edouard Manet's sly usage of a black cat, at Olympia's feet symbolizing infidelity, the cat is an obvious trope for Fischer, yet its symbolism is in no way simple and therefore answers few questions of its meaning in Daylight Pillow. The lack of discernible meaning is one of the things that make Fischer's work so stimulating; just as you begin to think you understand what his work is about, he pulls the proverbial carpet from underneath your feet and goes in an entirely different direction.
While large and extremely diverse, Fischer's body of work is unified through its continual presentation of the unexpected. Fischer has become known for his increasingly unpredictable and chameleon-like propensity to change in medium, style and method. His working method, however, can be seen as constantly aiming to juxtapose contrary situations, ideas or doctrine, drawing inspiration from a myriad of sources, ranging from his native German-Swiss experiences, to Western art history and popular consumer culture, all blended together often creating nonsensical or bizarre juxtapositions that the viewer is then left to decipher. Daylight Pillow uses archetypal and easily recognizable objects -- the cat, the table, the lamp, and even the light that it casts, to create a conflation of images that draws in a certain emotion or feeling for the viewer. A remarkable example of Fischer's prowess for pushing the boundaries of our conceivable reality, Daylight Pillow forces us to pause and reposition the banality of the everyday within his amusing and slightly satirical platform.