Frank Gehry's 'Fish Lamp' Sculptures Take Over Gagosian NYC
An ode to his long-standing ethos on drawing architectural comparisons to the natural world.
Frank Gehry‘s shape-shifting philosophy to architecture continues to fascinate audiences from Los Angeles’s Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Speaking on the latter, the Canadian-American architect recently linked up with the French maison to release a limited assortment of handbags that fused both parties artistic codes. To follow, Gehry is showcasing a series of Fish Lamp sculptures and never-before seen works on paper at Gagosian‘s 976 Madison Avenue location in New York City.
Ruminations consists of unique fish sculptures created in copper, stainless steel and Formica that suspend in the gallery space and are illuminated from within to draw visitors around its sinuous contours. Gehry has always lauded natural forms found in nature and “decided the fish was the model for the future of architecture because it expressed sculptural movement,” said Gehry in a statement. The leaflike scales in the new works are notably inspired by a hike the architect took with his granddaughter. Also on view are previously unseen works on paper, showing preliminary sketches to the glowing sculptures that populate the space.
Central to Gehry’s over six decade practice is an emphasis on the free-flowing shapes that mirror the forms found in nature. From fruitful collaborations with Louis Vuitton to the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (scheduled to open in 2025), Gehry looks to impart language and interaction within the buildings he designs. “How do you make a building communicate?” he asked in a past interview with New York Magazine. “How do you make the stage conducive to interaction or the orchestra share what the audience is feeling? It has to do with scale, materials, placement of details.”
For those in New York, Ruminations will be on view until April 6.
Gagosian
976 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10075
