Kelley Walker - 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale New York Thursday, November 17, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Catalogue Essay

    In Kelley Walker’s I see the right, mirrored; in the center a soft Volkswagen from 2004, viewers are confronted with their own reflections in mirrored acrylic surfaces of midnight blue, silver and turquoise. Composed of four thin surfaces attached to the wall in layers, the present lot is impressive both in surface and in scope, acting as both a sculpture and a wall-bound work. It is shaped like a Rorschach ink blot, a universally recognizable motif named after the psychological test that rose to prominence in the 1960s. In the Rorschach inkblot test, the subject was asked to respond to a series of shapes, and their interpretations in turn were intended to reflect key personality differences, or sometimes, the presence of a psychological disorder. Met with controversy, the test was ultimately banned in the early part of the 2000s, right around when Walker began his series of inkblot mirrors. The artist’s impressive inkblots in this series are exceptional examples of his unique re-appropriation of relevant imagery found within the fabric of our social and cultural histories. As such, each of the works in Walker’s oeuvre is significant in its ability to connect with the viewer on a familiar level, yet the Rorschach inkblots are particularly significant in their aesthetic: the mirrored surface. What the viewer sees is not just a familiar image, but rather themselves within the shapes. A reflection is broken by the contours of the inkblot throughout the composition, and varied by the rich hues of the four surfaces, leaving each individual viewer with a unique experience of reflecting on the work.

111

I see the right, mirrored; in the center a soft Volkswagen

signed and dated "Kelley Walker 2004" on the reverse of the right dark blue element
mirrored Plexiglas, in 4 parts
92 1/2 x 96 in. (235 x 243.8 cm.)
Executed in 2004.

Estimate
$150,000 - 200,000 

Sold for $156,250

Contact Specialist
John McCord
Head of Day Sale
New York
+1 212 940 1261

20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale

New York Auction 17 November 2016