Fairs & Collecting

May 6–10, 2022, booth 350
Park Avenue Armory, New York
www.tefaf.com

Gagosian is pleased to announce its participation in TEFAF New York Spring 2022, with a special presentation juxtaposing works by Urs Fischer and Man Ray. Two artworks, hung in opposite corners of the stand, beckon to one another, engaging in a silent dialogue. On one wall is Man Ray’s Les grands-trans-parents (c. 1970–75), a consummate example of the artist’s enduring interest in Surrealist imagery and concepts since the 1920s. This work comprises a decorative oval mirror mounted on a sage green velvet support, with the enigmatic phrase of the title scrawled by the artist in black ink on the glass surface. The writing playfully refers to André Breton’s concept of the “Great Transparents,” unseen entities that were thought to cause illogical events in the world. As the text’s placement intentionally eclipses visual access to a viewer’s image—thereby thwarting the key function of a mirror—Les grands-trans-parents wittily captures the Surrealist desire to estrange the everyday world, drawing out extraordinary elements from ordinary objects or situations.

This strategy of using incongruous elements to induce new meanings is elaborated as well in the work located on the stand’s opposing wall. As an example of the artist’s celebrated Problem Paintings, Urs Fischer’s Grilled (2010) comprises a black-and-white vintage publicity still of an Old Hollywood screen siren that is supplanted by an enlarged color image of a bent stainless-steel spoon. Fischer’s tactical placement of the utensil obscures the identity of the actress, refracting the viewer’s gaze to instead draw out formal elements of the composition.

Using key techniques introduced by the Surrealist movement—such as illogical juxtapositions, changes of scale, and dislocation of objects from their typical contexts—both Man Ray’s Les grands-trans-parents and Fischer’s Grilled disrupt established visual orders to awaken the viewer to the remarkable strangeness that exists in the world around us. As such, Gagosian’s joint presentation of these two works at TEFAF offers a unique opportunity to consider points of conceptual similarity and difference, creating a deeper reflection on each respective work. When facing one another, Les grands-trans-parents and Grilled develop a provocative interplay, inspiring the viewer to see the world—in all its fantastic contradictions—anew.

To receive a PDF with detailed information on the works, please contact the gallery at inquire@gagosian.com.

To attend the fair, purchase tickets at tefaf.com.