Urs Fischer: Kir Royal

The heterogeneous punk spirit of Urs Fischer is in full threat in this catalogue from his recent retrospective exhibition (including many new works) at Kunsthaus Zrich. All materials were considered fair game, and Fischer took every possible liberty in the museum space. He cut huge walk-through holes in the gallery walls and leaned the removed pieces on their edges in the rooms. He made burning wax sculptures, put obstacles on the ground, and hung a DANGEr sign above it all. As curator Mirjam Varadinis says, "the familiarity of everyday motifs is undermined in a process of metamorphosis that renders [the work] uncanny and even threatening." Of course, a dose of humor, drawing upon the grotesque, informs the work as well. You can try to name influences, inspirations, and related artists--Thek, Nauman, Barney, Fischli & Weiss--but Fischer is sui generis.