urs fischer suspends a sea of 3,000 sculpted plaster raindrops

(above) installation view of:
‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament
‘2’ (2013), 30 3/4 x 39 3/8 x 70 7/8 inches (78 x 100 x 180 cm);
‘6’ (2013), 33 1/8 x 47 1/4 x 86 5/8 inches (84 x 120 x 220 cm);
‘3’ (2013), 27 1/2 x 20 7/8 x 106 1/4 inches (70 x 53 x 270 cm);
materials: clay, water-based oil
all images by mats nordman / courtesy of urs fischer

urs fischer
sadie coles, london
now through january 18th, 2014

swiss artist urs fischer’s exhibition at sadie coles HQ centers around an undulating sea of 3,000, pastel-colored plaster raindrops suspended throughout the galley’s expanse. a psychedelic storm cloud looms overhead, pouring down as over-sized drips, yet the quality of each bulbous pendant cast from a hand-modeled prototype resonates with a cartoonish quality. ‘melodrama’ skews the viewers sense of scale, requiring observers to pass through narrow channels and weave through precise pathways. the irregularity of the objects, their chroma, playful traits, and their pervasion of the space is emblematic of the fairytale-like surrealism that characterizes fischer’s oveure. echoing the asymmetrical silhouettes drooping from the ceiling are new sculptures rendered in clay. reclining nude representations are repeated throughout the space, each lying headless on a crudely formed chaise lounge. evocative of tragic pompeian casts from ancient times, the fragmented ladies contrast the mass of raindrops above. the floor-based works and the suspended shapes establish a ‘heaven and earth’ tableau that is at both familiar and otherworldly.
 

‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament
‘2’ (2013), 30 3/4 x 39 3/8 x 70 7/8 inches (78 x 100 x 180 cm);
‘8’ (2013), 33 1/2 x 51 1/8 x 78 3/4 inches (85 x 130 x 200 cm);
‘4’ (2013), 23 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 74 3/4 inches (60 x 60 x 190 cm);
materials: clay, water-based oil

‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament
‘8’ (2013), 33 1/2 x 51 1/8 x 78 3/4 inches (85 x 130 x 200 cm);
‘6’ (2013), 33 1/8 x 47 1/4 x 86 5/8 inches (84 x 120 x 220 cm);
materials: clay, water-based oil

‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament
‘2’ (2013), 30 3/4 x 39 3/8 x 70 7/8 inches (78 x 100 x 180 cm);
materials: clay, water-based oil

‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament

‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament
‘4’ (2013), 23 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 74 3/4 inches (60 x 60 x 190 cm);
materials: clay, water-based oil

‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament
‘1’ (2013), 27 1/2 x 21 5/8 x 55 1/8 inches (70 x 55 x 140 cm);
materials: clay, water-based oil

‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament
‘3’ (2013), 27 1/2 x 20 7/8 x 106 1/4 inches (70 x 53 x 270 cm);
materials: clay, water-based oil

‘melodrama’ (2013), dimensions variable; 3000 colored drops, up to 6 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 2 3/8 inches (16.5 x 5.7 x 6 cm);
materials: plaster, oil-based primer, stainless steel, nylon filament
‘2’ (2013), 30 3/4 x 39 3/8 x 70 7/8 inches (78 x 100 x 180 cm);
materials: clay, water-based oil

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