FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Paul McCarthy

September 7 - October 12, 1996

Luhring Augstine is pleased to announce a one-person exhibition of new work by Paul McCarthy from September 7th through October 12th. 

The exhibition will consist of three separate tableaus that recall iconic scenes from the Old American West: a saloon, tee pee and bunkhouse.  McCarthy’s mise-en-scene stages distorted mechanical figures of human scale that are placed in and around the buildings.  These moving sculptures, the “performers” in the artist’s mythical Western narrative, contrast in proportion to the minature set.  This disparity in size between the figures and ground results in a warped perspective.

The installation reveals, on a formal level, McCarthy’s recurring usage of sculpture, tableau and mechanical figures to explore the relationship between performance and stage set.  In both subject matter and construction the installation is connected to the sexually charged Garden tableau that was exhibited in the group exhibition Helter Skelter at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA in 1992 as well as Cultural Gothic, an installation which was exhibited at Luhring Augustine in 1993. 

Paul McCarthy has been involved with performance and video since the early 1960’s. His earlier work is often the basis for his sculptures, drawings and photographs. Last year his Painter video and installation was exhibited as a MoMA’s Project. He also presented a video, Fresh Acconci,  in collaboration with Mike Kelley in the most recent Whitney Biennial.

Phaidon Press will publish a comprehensive monograph of the artist, which will be  available in November.

For further information, please contact Michele Maccarone at (212) 219-9600.