Now open at Hauser & Wirth Paris, artist Nicole Eisenman’s exhibition ‘with, and, of, on Sculpture’ explores the varied ways in which she intertwines painting and sculpture. This is her first retrospective at this location, which showcases works from 2019 through to present, delving into her stand alone technique and foundational inspiration behind certain pieces from politics to ABBA.
Nicole Eisenman presents ‘with, and, of, on Sculpture’
Sitting distinctly between the title of painter and sculptor, Eisenman feels that sculpture can be also two dimensional saying, ‘A line is sculptural, the way it floats in space on a white page. You’re looking at the representation of a dimension and it can be perceived as either two or three dimensional.’
Upon entering the ground floor of the exhibition space, each piece of work foretells the next. Two figures from Eisenman’s sculptural installation titled Procession (2019) take centre stage, while her latest multi-layered painting Archangel (The Visitors) (2024) hangs at the heart of the exhibition. This painting, somewhat comically, depicts an imagined exhibition featuring fictional sculptures.
The Visitors takes reference from John Heartfield and Rudolf Schlichter’s Prussian Archangel (1920), which featured a ‘pig-headed military figure’ which was first exhibited in Berlin in 1920. The work's title The Visitors refers to ABBA's 1981 single with the same name, which is about the persecution of those who challenge politics.
Downstairs features the Perpetual Motion Machine (2019), while G*d-cat in Drawing for Procession (2018) is a stand alone piece on the upper floor. Head with Slaband Foot (2024) incorporates ‘a plaster slab with an intaglio plate’ which blends its two-dimensional image with a three-dimensional structure. Eisenman is not afraid to get visitors to speculate and weave their own narrative through her wide use of mixed-media and historical connotations.
Nicole Eisenman’s exhibition ‘with, and, of, on Sculpture’ is on display at Hauser and Wirth Paris until 21 September 2024 hauserwirth.com
