Humor in sculptural form. A solo show with other artists. An April Fool's opening. A show of comic turns.
*Photo above: Installation view, A Comic Turn.
April 1 - June 30, 2014
Eric Fertman: A Comic Turn explores the means of object-based humor. For this exhibition, SECCA presents a comprehensive survey of three of the sculptor's bodies of work from 2007-2013. A suite of new works made this year will be on view for the first time.
Fertman's sculpture turns the Modernist canon on its head. References to celebrated influences such as Philip Guston and Constantin Brancusi, and to iconic forms of Modernism and Minimalism are paid equal parts satire and homage. They become fertile ground for new objects, allusive titles, and euphemisms all his own. In the gap between title and object, we discover a sculptural equivalent to physical comedy. Selected video works by Ger van Elk, Kate Gilmore and Cynthia Maughan elaborate on the slapstick and bodily dimension of humor, offering viewers moments of surprise and discovery, or comic turns. We are left wondering: is humor an idea, a form, or an interaction? Is it all of these?
Artist Bio
Eric Fertman (1974) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned his BFA in 1997 from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He is represented by Susan Inglett Gallery, New York.
Curated by Cora Fisher, SECCA Curator of Contemporary Art.