1 September – 20 October 2012, Hauser & Wirth Zürich, Löwenbräu Opening: Friday 31 August, 6 – 8 pm
‘Between 1972 – 1983, I did a series of performances which involved masks, bottles, pans, uniforms, dolls, stuffed animals, etc. After the performances these objects were either left behind or they were collected and stored in suitcases and trunks to be used in future performances. In 1983, the closed suitcases and trunks containing these performance objects were stacked on a table and exhibited as sculpture. In 1991, I opened the suitcases and trunks photographing each item. The group of photographs in their entirety was titled PROPO’. – Paul McCarthy
Hauser & Wirth is delighted to present an exhibition of over 60 photographs by Paul McCarthy. This selection, many of which have only been seen before in publications, is taken from the artist’s large group of more than 120 photographs, collectively known as ‘PROPO’.
McCarthy’s debased and dirtied photographic subjects have a unique history. They began as props in McCarthy’s early performances, and in the early Eighties, they were packed into suitcases and trunks, which were then stacked on a table and re-invented as the sculpture ‘Assortment, The Trunks, Human Object and PROPO Photographs’ (1972 – 2003). The lids of the cases remained unopened until the early Nineties when McCarthy individually photographed each of the props, creating ‘PROPO’, a collection of documentation-style photographs and a record of his dark humour and subversive social critique. Set against vividly coloured backgrounds, these grimy objects line the walls of Hauser & Wirth’s ground floor gallery, presented as proud emblems, despite their sodden and soiled appearance. The ‘PROPO’ photographs highlight McCarthy’s on-going re-visitation of his prolific oeuvre and his distinctive approach to his works: they are in a constant state of transformation.
McCarthy began his live performances in the late Sixties. Seen initially by only a handful of people, these were raucous, riotous parodies of society, relationships, sex and pop culture, which tested the physical and mental boundaries of both the viewer and the artist. Videos of two of McCarthy’s most well-known early performances, ‘Sailor’s Meat’ (1975) and ‘Tubbing’ (1975), as well as photographs taken during the performances, will be on view in the basement gallery of Hauser & Wirth Zürich.
Thomas Houseago The mess I'm looking for
1 September – 20 October 2012, Hauser & Wirth Zürich, Löwenbräu Opening: Friday 31 August, 6 – 8 pm
Hauser & Wirth is proud to present 'The mess I’m looking for', an exhibition of works by Thomas Houseago. 'The mess I'm looking for' will act as the third part in a trilogy of exhibitions comprising Houseago's debut show with the gallery, with 'I'll be your sister' and 'Special Brew', opening at Hauser & Wirth London, Savile Row on 7 September. For his first solo show in Switzerland, Houseago will present a new, large-scale figure and a selection of wall works, including reliefs and masks. Together, these works showcase Houseago's vast range of influences, from the abundance of nature and the sculpture of non-Western art to the superheroes and villains of comic books and cartoons. Houseago's interpretation of these subjects highlights his sensitivity both to the art of the Renaissance and the masters of Modernism, as well as his own innovative approach to figurative sculpture.
Spreading across over five metres of the gallery's floor, Houseago's monumental figure is resolutely flat – a combination of a head and hands formed from iron rebar and a torso and limbs made from boards of Tuf-cal plaster outlined with restless graphite sketches. Yet despite its raw, unfinished quality and its skeletal, two-dimensional form, the reclining figure seems to press into the ground with such force that it looks as if it might rise up from its supine position at any moment to tower over the viewer.
Houseago's masks vary in size from small wall works, to large visages balanced on wooden pedestals. Characteristic of Houseago's sculptures, each mask bears the mark of its maker; grooves from the artist's hands provide texture to the already rough surfaces of the works. Yet, despite the conspicuous presence of the artist, these ghostly faces seem to possess a character of their own. Their hollow gaze returns that of the viewer with a unique combination of aggression and vulnerability.
A new bronze relief will also be on view in Zurich. An exercise and exploration of formal composition, Houseago's reliefs range from single panels to triptychs reminiscent of altarpieces from the Northern Renaissance, with each section defined by a rigid, rectangular border. Houseago fills the reliefs with sturdy trees with numerous snake-like branches and muscular human figures standing in traditional poses, all confined within the strict space of the panels.
Born in Leeds, England, Thomas Houseago's career has taken him from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands, to Belgium and finally to the United States, where he currently lives and works in Los Angeles CA. Houseago's works are currently on view in a number of group exhibitions including 'Art and the City', a public art festival in Zurich, Switzerland (until 23 September 2012); 'Great St. Helen's Sculpture Space', St. Helen's Square, London, England (until January 2013); and on the High Line, New York NY (until March 2013). ‘Where The Wild Things Are’, a solo exhibition of Houseago’s works, is currently on view at Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, England until 27 January 2013.
Houseago's recent solo exhibitions include Hauser & Wirth Outdoor Sculpture, Southwood Garden, St. James's Church, London, England (2012); 'The Beat of the Show', Inverleith House, Edinburgh, Scotland (2011); and the major touring exhibition 'What Went Down' at Museum Abteiberg, Monchengladbach, Germany, realised in cooperation with Modern Art Oxford, England and the Centre International d'Art et du Paysage de l'lle de Vassivière, France where the show was on view in summer 2011.
Concurrent with his exhibition in Zurich, Houseago will also present two exhibitions of new works at Hauser & Wirth London, Savile Row which will be on view from 7 September to 27 October 2012.
Hauser & Wirth Limmatstrasse 270 8005 Zurich
Gallery hours:Tuesday to Friday, 12 – 6 pm Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm
