The sculpture Untitled is part of a series that has been ongoing since 1982 for which Peter Fischli and David Weiss reproduce in their studio ordinary objects cast in polyurethane, a malleable substance with varied uses and textures. The symbolic capacity of the cast of this root extracted from the earth seduced Banque Pictet, very attached to its own roots. The selected material technically offers the possibility of a faithful and detailed reproduction of the material it imitates, in this case, wood. Added to which, the physical characteristics of black polyurethane absorb rather than reflect light, hence contrasting with traditional noble materials, such as marble or bronze.
Through their observations and the way they approach their work, which attempts to highlight the non-visible, Fischli and Weiss have also been inspired by surveillance videos filmed in underground tunnels and other subterranean spaces of the canton of Zurich. Attracted to fields radically distant from the usual artistic milieu, the two artists are fond of the hidden world, banal and unspectacular, to better reveal it. They tirelessly offer sincere work, devoid of any cynicism, which has no other aim than to express their gaze on the contemporary world.
Through their process of simulation, all kinds of objects, furniture and accessories, coming directly from the artists’ everyday lives, acquire a genuine sculptural quality by distinguishing themselves from the notion of the ready-made. By seizing utensils and motifs apparently devoid of any artistic value, Fischli and Weiss reinvigorate their connotations and free them while transforming them into artistic objects. Accumulating replicas and fleeing all notion of uniqueness, the artists express their vision of a subterranean reality. It is through their resolute willingness for lightness that they reach an existential dimension.
Through their observations and the way they approach their work, which attempts to highlight the non-visible, Fischli and Weiss have also been inspired by surveillance videos filmed in underground tunnels and other subterranean spaces of the canton of Zurich. Attracted to fields radically distant from the usual artistic milieu, the two artists are fond of the hidden world, banal and unspectacular, to better reveal it. They tirelessly offer sincere work, devoid of any cynicism, which has no other aim than to express their gaze on the contemporary world.
Through their process of simulation, all kinds of objects, furniture and accessories, coming directly from the artists’ everyday lives, acquire a genuine sculptural quality by distinguishing themselves from the notion of the ready-made. By seizing utensils and motifs apparently devoid of any artistic value, Fischli and Weiss reinvigorate their connotations and free them while transforming them into artistic objects. Accumulating replicas and fleeing all notion of uniqueness, the artists express their vision of a subterranean reality. It is through their resolute willingness for lightness that they reach an existential dimension.
