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FEB 19 '92 17:47 617-247-37280  P.6/11
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Artschwager's sense of irony and mysterious derangement have flourished in recent years. Chair/Chair is a richly provocative sculpture inspired by a modest folding chair remembered from childhood; the 1920s chair is gone but can be glimpsed in family snapshots. The sculpture is larger and much wider that its inspiration. In a lengthy sequence of transformations the artist made the curves more pronounced and created a low-slung attitude suggestive of delightful languor rather than sitting upright. The formica veneer on the back splat is lively, intricate, and symmetrical. Its visceral and fantastic appearance would make it a good substitute for the inkblots in a Rorschach personality test. Unlike the original, Chair/Chair is upholstered in erotic hairy cowhide. Furthermore the seat has a central cleft that seems to mimic the cheeks of the buttocks. This object is a presentation of a chair and a manifestation of various ideas about the chair's structure, function, and personality. The piece's structural complexity and finesse testify to the technical skills of the [[strikethrough]] craftsmen who translated Artschwager's design [[/strikethrough]] artist and his studio, but as a sculpture it celebrates the mind of someone who is free to stretch, distort, simplify, and abridge in order to create art.

If we consider Artschwager's involvement with everyday subjects, popular culture, and commercial materials, he can be aligned with Pop Art. Moreover, the factory-fresh, hard-edged presentations especially evident in his formica sculptures often recall the impassive objectivity of Minimal Art. Since he takes the images for some of his paintings directly from photographs some writers have made a facile connection to Photo-Realism. He has also been discussed with