“People seem to fear art. Art has always been a word for this thing that can’t be rationalized; when you see or hear something that you struggle to explain. But that’s its strength, of course, that’s what the word ‘art’ is for.”
– Urs Fischer
Urs Fischer
New York-based, Swiss-born artist Urs Fischer is widely regarded as one of the leading forces of the contemporary art movement. His work often presents a collision; a carefully orchestrated, often humor-infused, dance between everyday objects and their relationships to human experience.
Fischer has a knack for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. In his own words, “anything can be used to create art—your mind, your hand, your elbow or toe.” This unrepressed perspective is his foundation for engaging, imaginative and timeless works. A Duchampion take on representationalism, Fischer’s oeuvre is disruptive at its core, often provoking ambiguous dialogue among his audience.
Fischer has been exhibited vastly across the globe, with leading galleries including Gagosian, New York; Pace Gallery, New York; Sadie Coles HQ, London; Massimo de Carlo, Milan; The Modern Institute, Glasgow; Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin; and Jeffrey Deitch, New York, and Los Angeles.
Solo exhibitions at major museums include Museum of Modern Art, New York; Palazzo Grassi, Venice; Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Garage Museum, Moscow; Fondation Vincent Van Gogh, Arles; Legion of Honor, San Francisco; and Aïshti Foundation, Beirut.
Fisher has also caught the attention of private collectors who are eager to pay top dollar for his work. His work has sold for impressive amounts at renowned auction houses such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Notable sales include Untitled (Lamp/Bear) sold at Christie’s New York ‘Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale’ in 2011 for $6,802,500.
CHAOS: A Collision of Things
A sculpturist, photographer, painter and now digital artist, Urs Fischer is well versed in an array of mediums, never shying away from the unfamiliar. It’s no surprise that the latest in technology would play an influential role in his ever-evolving creative process.
Coming to MakersPlace this week is the exciting continuation of Fischer’s genesis NFT project, CHAOS, a series consisting of 1,000 everyday objects, paired together to form 500 unique creations. Concluding the collection, #501 is a cataclysmic explosion of Fischer’s conceptual work.
Fischer pairs seemingly unrelated objects – like an ancient Peruvian Shipibo Pot and a Budweiser can – and renders them into 3D motion digital sculptures. Though colliding seamlessly, the objects are juxtapositions. The duos emphasize differences, reveal likeness, and force the viewer to explore their relationship in depth.
Despite limitless interpretation, Fischer’s pairings are not coincidental. An exploration of human nature, the artworks highlight the interplay between manufactured objects and their deeper connection to humanity – some obvious, some humorous and some painstakingly contemplative. In CHAOS, Fischer gives these objects a platform to tell their story, forcing viewers to observe the interconnectedness of life.
Check out our community AMA with Urs Fischer to learn more about his work and the CHAOS series + read on to learn more about Fischer’s impact on the world of art!
A visualization that can manifest in any form
In the next installation of the CHAOS series, CHAOS #120 Harlequin is the first artwork in the series in which the objects in the piece exhibit behavior between objects. Fischer visualizes a literal interpretation of his work; A hammer hitting a nail.
A truly immersive experience, each NFT contains a reference rendering, the data to construct the work in any digital space, and a set of instructions that allow owners to create their version of the artwork. Collectors of CHAOS can render their digital sculptures to take on as many forms as they wish.
The “collision” of art & technology
Despite an abundance of stupefying creations to dive into within the CHAOS series, one of the most significant collisions CHAOS represents is that which has ignited between a number of creative communities, emerging spaces, and established institutions: A big bang moment that harmoniously embraces NFTs as the future of experiential art.
The CHAOS series has garnered attention and support from all corners of the art world. Renowned gallery spaces like Gagosian and Pace Gallery, innovative auction app Fair Warning, former Christie’s co-chairman Loic Gouzer, and premiere NFT platform MakersPlace, converging under Fischer’s vision of evolving art and objects.
“It is great to see entities such as Fair Warning, MakersPlace, and Pace coalescing around great artistic initiatives. Hopefully this type of effort, in the service of great art, will become a blueprint for artists who are reaching across all spectrums of the art world.”
– Loic Gouzer, Founder of Fair Warning and former Co-Chairman at Christie’s
CHAOS in the art world
Starting with the debut of the CHAOS series on Fair Warning, a fine art focused app and digital sales platform founded by Loic Gouzer, the very first CHAOS artwork CHAOS #1 Human led the way. What came as a shock to some, the first artwork sold for $97,700, nearly 100 times its estimate.
“Artists like Urs Fischer, Lucas Samaras, and Glenn Kaino have devoted their careers to pioneering new approaches within their respective practices, and to revisioning what their institutional relationships look like. As supporters and stewards of their ideas and legacy, we must assess what the next steps are and provide the tools needed for success. Our strategic venture into the digital is our way of doing just that.“
— Christiana Ine-Kimba Boyle, Online Sales Director at Pace Gallery
2021 served as an inflection point for the NFT art movement with ground-breaking sales within the space grabbing the attention of the art world at large, most notably the $69.3 million dollar sale of digital artist Beeple’s The First 5000 Days – a collaborative effort between MakersPlace and Christie’s which marked the third highest artwork sale of any living artist and highest digital artwork sale of all time.
For the first time ever, NFTs infiltrated mainstream art conversations and flocks of curious collectors dived into the movement eager to learn and experience what this new art form is all about. Since its inception in 2018, the NFT, or crypto art market, has seen over $2,177,225,443.45 (838,910.894 ETH) in global sales, a promising signal of what is to come in the NFT art space.
CHAOS VII
Dropping 03/10/22 at 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET. Only on MakersPlace.
Returning to MakersPlace this week is the exciting continuation of the CHAOS series by Urs Fischer. Five new CHAOS artworks, live on 03/10/22 at 3:30 PM PT. Exclusively on MakersPlace.
Expect the unexpected… more to come.
CHAOS #116 Pinkie
Editions: One
Pricing: Accepting Offers Only
*A 24 hour auction will be triggered once reserve price is met.
CHAOS #117 Conquest
Editions: One
Pricing: Accepting Offers Only
*A 24 hour auction will be triggered once reserve price is met.
CHAOS #118 Rhizome
Editions: One
Pricing: Accepting Offers Only
*A 24 hour auction will be triggered once reserve price is met.
CHAOS #119 Nostalgia
Editions: One
Pricing: Accepting Offers Only
*A 24 hour auction will be triggered once reserve price is met.
CHAOS #120 Harlequin
CHAOS #120 Harlequin is the first artwork in the series in which the objects in the piece exhibit behavior between objects.
Editions: One
Pricing: Accepting Offers Only
*A 24 hour auction will be triggered once reserve price is met.
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