We stopped by the New Museum yesterday for the press preview of the long-awaited Urs Fischer exhibition. This is the first time the museum has devoted all three gallery floors to a single artist. Preparing for "Urs Fischer: Merguerite de Ponty" (open through February 7) was a monumental undertaking. Metal sculptures weighing thousands of pounds were brought in from China on airplanes. The ceiling of the second floor gallery was raised two feet. Up to 120 outside contractors were hired to make the modifications necessary to the two year old, $50 million museum.
"Choreographed entirely by the artist," the museum explains on its web site, "the exhibition is a descent into
Fischer’s universe, revealing the world of an artist who has emerged as
one of the most exceptional talents working today." Yesterday, curator Massimiliano Gioni described the extraordinary effort that was required to pull off a show that was both artistically and logistically challenging. You'll be able to hear some of his remarks after the jump and also see one of the more talked about works in the show in action. Spoiler: the motion activated tongue seems to be working fine!
But first, some of the other pieces making up the Urs Fischer exhibition, courtesy of photographer Jenna Rice.
Photos for The Lo-Down by Jenna Rice
Photos for The Lo-Down by Jenna Rice
As we mentioned above, curator Massimiliano Gioni said a few words yesterday morning about the exhibition. In the clip below he talks about the challenges involved in fulfilling Fischer's vision. The second clip shows one of Fischer's creations, a motion activited replica of a human tongue.
