The New Museum began in New York in 1977, as an art space established to showcase contemporary artists and act as a catalyst for new ideas. Two years ago, the (new) New Museum building was constructed by Tokyo-based architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and New York-based Gensler. The building, located at 235 Bowery between Stanton and Rivington Streets, was the first art museum in downtown Manhattan to be constructed from the ground up. While the building first gained attention for its striking look — the facade resembles carefully-stacked Jenga pieces, white and pristine and contrasting the museum’s surroundings — art lovers and critics alike are now flocking to the New Museum for its eclectic series of shows and exhibitions.
New Museum’s current exhibition features the work of Urs Fischer, a 36-year-old Swiss artist, who now resides in New York. “Marguerite de Ponty” is Fischer’s first solo exhibition in America and it is quite extensive, as his work spans over three of the seven floors in the museum. Fischer’s lively work plays with space, construction and deconstruction, and perception. Think Salvidor Dali meets Jeff Koons. An example? In 2007, Fischer dug an eight-foot hole into the ground of Gavin Brown’s New York gallery. Talk about making a visual statement.
The installation at the New Museum does not stray from what Fischer does best. By exploiting space and the relationships of space and object, I found myself entranced by his work. My favorite piece in the show is past the gigantic silver blobs on the fourth floor to a pink cake seemingly floating in mid-air, right between half a New York subway bench and a sports bag. No strings attached. Fischer cleverly presents objects and space in controversial ways and “Marguerite de Ponty” features four years of work that delivers just that.
The Urs Fischer exhibition is currently on view and runs until February 7, 2010 at the New Museum – 235 Bowery in New York. Check out www.newmuseum.org for their hours of operation, directions and information about current and past exhibits.
- Kara Hornland
