Roby Dwi Antono, KIRA (Burnished Gold), 2021. Editions & Works on Paper, New York.
As is typical with Phillips’ Editions sales, there’s a surprise around every corner of the gallery. Around here, we love to say not all editions are flat, and our upcoming Editions & Works on Paper Auction in New York features several captivating three-dimensional works.
Read below to discover them and stop by 432 Park Avenue through 14 February to experience their presence in person.
Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer, Truism 1, 1983–91. Editions & Works on Paper, New York.
Jenny Holzer’s defining works break the mold of traditional art spaces. They have been installed on advertising billboards, projected onto buildings, and incorporated into performances, proving that she’s an artist who seeks unique ways to present art to the broadest possible audience. This work — an electronic mini-LED screen — does just that, but at a more intimate scale. Cycling through several of her iconic Truisms (“Abuse Of Power Should Come As No Surprise”, “Expressing Anger Is Necessary”, “Going With The Flow Is Soothing But Necessary” — to name just a few), the work offers unique ways to live with art. It can even be worn as a belt buckle, calling to mind the act of adornment often associated with the pervasive brand logos of contemporary fashion and seeming to suggest Holzer’s interest in the communicative power of advertising at scale. Wear this and carry Jenny Holzer’s urgent messages forward, or simply hang it for a surprising interior experience and a daily reminder of truth.
Enrique Chagoya
Enrique Chagoya, Pyramid Scheme, 2009. Editions & Works on Paper, New York.
It makes sense that just as the U.S. financial crisis hit global markets in 2009, Enrique Chagoya would look to Andy Warhol — that doyen of capitalist imagery. In Pyramid Scheme, Chagoya renames the contents of soup cans with text that suggests financial instruments are the sustenance of bankers, as evident in the quip “Mergers, Acquisitions and Lentils.” It also comes as no surprise that this sort of expression is rooted in the Mexican American artist’s background — his artist-father worked at a bank by day and taught his son color theory and drawing. Later, the young Chagoya studied politics and economics and drew political cartoons for union newsletters. Much like political cartoons, this work can serve as a light and humorous entry point to a dialogue around complex and charged issues. Chili, anyone?
Louise Nevelson
Louise Nevelson, The Night Sound, 1971. Editions & Works on Paper, New York.
This work likely seems somewhat flat on your screen, but don’t be fooled. When viewing in person, the depth of lead intaglio presents a compelling sight. The Night Sound comes from Kiev-born, American artist Louise Nevelson’s Lead Intaglio series, made in the early 1970s and published by Pace Editions, New York. A significant figure in 20th century American sculpture, having represented the country at the 31st Venice Biennale in 1962, Nevelson’s explorations of form, material, light, and shadow are renowned. These elements, which are a throughline in her work, also come through with the relief of the thin, embossed lead plates added as a sculptural element. The result is a work of surprising depth and texture that echoes her lifelong engagement with three-dimensional forms and collage.
Mike Kelley
Mike Kelley, Bowling Ball, Bag, Shirt and Catalog, 1991. Editions & Works on Paper, New York.
In this assemblage work, the late Los Angeles artist Mike Kelley abides by his characteristic approach, mining everyday objects to show both the darkness and humor of contemporary American life. To use the parlance of our times, there’s a lot to unpack here. By presenting a facsimile of bowling gear as a work of fine art, the artist at once demonstrates the cultural distance between the art gallery and the bowling alley and creates an athletic alter-ego of himself. The work also finds a synergy between market notions of sports and art stars as collectible ideas. Several curiosities emerge in the work on close inspection: the bowling ball has no holes, the artist’s signature on the XXL shirt is stitched in black with its mirror image in white, and both the bag and the shirt feature a genie lamp inscribed with text that reads “death, knowledge, life, and guilt.” It’s certainly an ethos.
Roby Dwi Antono
Roby Dwi Antono, KIRA (Burnished Gold), 2021. Editions & Works on Paper, New York.
Standing at 12 inches tall, her head curved just slightly downward, Roby Dwi Antono’s unforgettable character KIRA materializes here in three dimensions to meet our gaze with her giant eyes — each containing glistening tears made of crystal resin. The portion of her torso that seems to seamlessly emerge from any surface she’s placed on is disproportionally small compared to the size of her head, eliciting an undeniable emotional response from viewers. At once adorable, pitiable, heroic, and identifiable, KIRA probes our own psyche as we peer into the depths of her large, watery eyes. This work, like many by the Indonesian artist, is an invitation to interpret the meaning of our reaction to it — a reaction that grounds us in the vitality of human connection.
Nicasio Fernandez
Nicasio Fernandez, Blooming (White), 2021. Editions & Works on Paper, New York.
New York-based artist Nicasio Fernandez makes figurative works influenced by Expressionism and Surrealism but imbued with subtle humor and an exaggeration of form that recalls popular animation. The stylization in Blooming (White) is characteristic of figures in his other works that also feature a cartoonish elongated nose, curved upward with nostrils placed so they almost look like the eyes of a second figure. This imaginative approach is slightly jarring (he’s described his works as “visual rashes” that disrupt normality but provide gratification upon closer look), but ultimately uplifting. As the artist has said, “The world is so intense already, might as well try to relieve some of that tension along the way.”
More to Explore
Susumu Kamijo, Dance For Me In The Dusk, 2021. Editions & Works on Paper, New York.
Further discoveries await you in our gallery space. From Susumu Kamijo’s compelling wooden poodle to Andy Warhol’s perfect soup tote, James Rosenquist’s rotating mirrors, and even a dancer whose toe almost plays an E-flat Major 7th chord, nearly all your senses will be engaged and delighted.
Recommended Reading
Marilyn Minter on James Rosenquist >