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Lot Essay
Examining luxury consumerism and popular media, Sylvie Fleury’s artworks from the early 1990s wryly address gender paradoxes and stereotypes inherent in contemporary society. Fleury’s multifarious practice spans photography, sculpture, and installation, and is united by a clear pop voice. As Fleury explains, ‘I’m always dealing with the superficiality of things, but I try to do it in a deeper way… And sometimes, just being a woman and showing something… gives it another dimension.’ (S. Fleury, quoted in ‘Sylvie Fleury, Index magazine, https://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/sylvie_fleury.shtml [accessed 18th July 2014])
In the 1990s, Fleury produced a series of tactile works known as Cuddly Paintings, one of which is now in the collection of Museum of Modern Art, New York. Playfully upholstering the picture frame with faux fur in a variety of hues and textures, titling these works as paintings expands the traditional limitations of what art was considered to be in the early 1990s. In 1991, the present work was produced in a soft, baby pink. The subtlety coloured fur compels the eye and hand, its soft and approachable surface addressing femininity in a humorous way.
In 1993, Fleury collaborated with yBa artist Angela Bulloch to create the photographic piece, Should I stay or should I go?. Produced as a unique photograph, Fleury and Bulloch are shown singing a Karaoke version of the 1982 hit by the British Punk band The Clash, for which this work takes it title. This was a ‘collaboration to act out the most popular of modern fantasies: to be a rock star.’ (H. Papadopoulos, ‘Angela Bulloch, Sylvie Fleury’, in Flash Art, 176, 1994, p.103). Dressed in matching red t-shirts merging into the British flag behind them, they form an unstoppable female duo, connecting art with London life in the ‘90s.
The ‘90s saw a refocusing of artistic priorities, looking to individual experience and everyday surroundings for inspiration. Offering an introspective glimpse into Fleury and Bulloch’s personal identities, the intimate scale of Should I stay or should I go? intensifies the personal quality of the works. Together, they combine this intimacy with pop culture to produce a work that is sexy, humorous and clever all at the same time. As quoted in Flash Art, ‘These two artists have managed to turn a perfect pop activity into a perfectly fresh, pop work.’ (H. Papadopoulos, ‘Angela Bulloch, Sylvie Fleury’, in Flash Art, 176, 1994, p.103).
In the 1990s, Fleury produced a series of tactile works known as Cuddly Paintings, one of which is now in the collection of Museum of Modern Art, New York. Playfully upholstering the picture frame with faux fur in a variety of hues and textures, titling these works as paintings expands the traditional limitations of what art was considered to be in the early 1990s. In 1991, the present work was produced in a soft, baby pink. The subtlety coloured fur compels the eye and hand, its soft and approachable surface addressing femininity in a humorous way.
In 1993, Fleury collaborated with yBa artist Angela Bulloch to create the photographic piece, Should I stay or should I go?. Produced as a unique photograph, Fleury and Bulloch are shown singing a Karaoke version of the 1982 hit by the British Punk band The Clash, for which this work takes it title. This was a ‘collaboration to act out the most popular of modern fantasies: to be a rock star.’ (H. Papadopoulos, ‘Angela Bulloch, Sylvie Fleury’, in Flash Art, 176, 1994, p.103). Dressed in matching red t-shirts merging into the British flag behind them, they form an unstoppable female duo, connecting art with London life in the ‘90s.
The ‘90s saw a refocusing of artistic priorities, looking to individual experience and everyday surroundings for inspiration. Offering an introspective glimpse into Fleury and Bulloch’s personal identities, the intimate scale of Should I stay or should I go? intensifies the personal quality of the works. Together, they combine this intimacy with pop culture to produce a work that is sexy, humorous and clever all at the same time. As quoted in Flash Art, ‘These two artists have managed to turn a perfect pop activity into a perfectly fresh, pop work.’ (H. Papadopoulos, ‘Angela Bulloch, Sylvie Fleury’, in Flash Art, 176, 1994, p.103).