Subscribe
Search
ePaper
Newsletters
Subscribe
ePaper
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Search
Artist interview
podcast

A brush with... Urs Fischer

An in-depth interview with the artist on his cultural experiences and greatest influences, from jazz and drawing workshops to Hieronymus Bosch

Sponsored by
Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
6 December 2023
Share
Portrait of Urs Fischer

Photo: Robert Banat; Courtesy the artist and Gagosian

Portrait of Urs Fischer

Photo: Robert Banat; Courtesy the artist and Gagosian

A brush with...

In this podcast, based on The Art Newspaper's regular interview series, our host Ben Luke talks to artists in-depth. He asks the questions you've always wanted to: who are the artists, historical and contemporary, they most admire? Which are the museums they return to? What are the books, music and other media that most inspire them? And what is art for, anyway?

Urs Fischer talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work.

Urs Fischer's Wave (2018)

© Urs Fischer; Photo: Stefan Altenburger; Courtesy the artist and Gagosian

Born in 1973 in Zurich, Switzerland, Fischer makes work across multiple disciplines and media that defies categorisation. Whether he is working in photography, painting, drawing, sculpture or installation, he often upends the given characteristics of his medium. His art is in a state of constant transformation, being pushed and pulled in unexpected directions, often with a pronounced absurdity and always with a distinctive impact.

Installation view of Urs Fischer's The Kiss, Sadie Coles HQ, 1 February - 11 March 2017

Courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles

He reflects on the experience of curating an exhibition of John Chamberlain’s work for Aspen Art Museum and how, if at all, it has affected his own practice. He discusses his early interest in Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Brueghel, why he recreated Giambologna’s Abduction of the Sabine Women (1579-83) in the form of a candle, and Rodin’s The Kiss (1882) from plasticine. He talks about Headz, the jazz and drawing workshop-cum-venue he created with Spencer Sweeney, and his experience of watching several movies in a single day. And he answers our usual questions, including the ultimate: what is art for?

Installation view of Urs Fischer's Douglas Sirk, Sadie Coles, New Burlington Place, London, 6 October - 1 December (2010)

Courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles


• John Chamberlain: The Tighter They’re Wound, The Harder They Unravel, curated by Urs Fischer, is at the Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, US, 15 December-7 April 2024.

Fischer will be curating a show of John Chamberlain's work at the Aspen Art Museum this month

Chamberlain among his raw materials at Stanley Marsh 3's ranch, Toad Hall, Amarillo, Texas, 1972.

Photo: Leo Castelli Gallery records, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

This podcast is sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, the arts and culture app.

The free app offers access to a vast range of international cultural organisations through a single download, with new guides being added regularly. They include the Aspen Art Museum, where Urs Fischer is curating an exhibition of the work of the sculptor John Chamberlain (15 December-7 April 2024). If you download the guide to the museum, you can find a feature on the Chamberlain exhibition, as well as a section on the exhibition series called A Lover’s Discourse, in which an emerging artist chooses to juxtapose their works with those of an influential figure. The next artist to feature, from 14 December 2023, is Issy Wood, whose paintings will be displayed alongside a canvas by Fernando Botero.

Artist interviewA brush with...podcastArtistsSwiss art
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
LinkedIn
© The Art Newspaper