HAUSER & WIRTH presents a carnivalesque cast of characters by paul mccarthy

you’re sure to see some familiar faces at HAUSER & WIRTH in new york right now, but maybe not quite how you remembered them. melting dwarfs, gurning pirates and effigies of a former US president fill the gallery in a contingent of unsettling and compelling sculptures by american artist paul mccarthy.

paul mccarthy, ‘chop chop, chopper, amputation’, 2013, clay, wood, mixed materials
360 x 1080 x 350 cm / 141 3/4 x 425 1/4 x 137 3/4 in
image by fredrik nilsen
all images courtesy of hauser & wirth

entitled ‘raw spinoffs continuations’ the exhibition presents a diverse collection of paul mccarthy’s creations spanning the last 15 years. positioning selected works from some of mccarthy’s most important projects side by side, the exhibition vividly represents the artist’s raw, unblushing and often deeply emotional approach to depicting humanity, society and the world of art.  

paul mccarthy, ‘chop chop, chopper, amputation’, 2013, clay, wood, mixed materials
360 x 1080 x 350 cm / 141 3/4 x 425 1/4 x 137 3/4 in
image by fredrik nilsen

on view as part of the exhibition are a new series of bronze ‘white snow dwarfs’, a continuation of the artist’s ongoing project ‘white snow’. presented alongside the original clay sculptures from which they were cast, these corrupted and reimagined versions of disney’s classic characters represent a modern interpretation of human drives and desires. with the process here just as evident as the product, these works contain multiple sequential layers of abstraction, evidencing mccarthy’s frantic and fueled artistic process. associations of childhood and frivolity are conflicted with adult and explicit themes to realize a contemporary role for these ageless characters. 

paul mccarthy, ‘chop chop, chopper, amputation’, 2013, clay, wood, mixed materials
360 x 1080 x 350 cm / 141 3/4 x 425 1/4 x 137 3/4 in
image by fredrik nilsen

also presented here is the large-scale work ‘chop chop, chopper, amputation’, from mccarthy’s ‘caribbean pirates’ series. dark, discomfiting and again taking its cue from disney, this harshly assembled pirate ship is imagined floating on a sea of debris — sex toys, buckets, chairs and polyurethane foam. a perversion of popular personalities, the project began as a collaboration between mccarthy and his son, and spans sculpture, visual art, performance and film. 

paul mccarthy, white snow dwarf, sleepy #1 (affected original), 2009-2016. clay, steel, foam
156.2 x 121.9 x 121.9 cm / 61 1/2 x 48 x 48 in
image by dylan huig

an assembly of sinister and delightfully madcap creations, ‘raw spinoffs continuations’ provides a disturbing and personal insight into mccarthy’s prodigious body of work, both the physical process and offbeat outcome. completing the collection, alongside other works, is ‘pig island’ described by the gallery as ‘a surreal compilation of themes that have coursed through mccarthy’s work for decades. originally conceptualized as an island of robotic pirates and pigs (…) ‘pig island’ is populated by pirates, pigs, likenesses of george w. bush and angelina jolie, an assortment of disney characters, and the artist himself, all carousing in a state of reckless abandon.’

on view through january 14th, 2017, ‘raw spinoffs continuations’ will be the final exhibition at the hauser & wirth west 18th street space in new york. 

paul mccarthy, white snow dwarf, sleepy #1 (affected original), 2009-2016. clay, steel, foam
156.2 x 121.9 x 121.9 cm / 61 1/2 x 48 x 48 in
image by dylan huig

paul mccarthy, white snow dwarf, bashful (affected original), 2009-2016. clay, foam, steel, wood
177.8 x 121.9 x 121.9 cm / 70 x 48 x 48 in
image by dylan huig

 
paul mccarthy, white snow dwarf, bashful (affected original), 2009-2016. clay, foam, steel, wood
177.8 x 121.9 x 121.9 cm / 70 x 48 x 48 in
image by dylan huig

paul mccarthy, puppet,2005-2008. platinum silicone, urethane rigid foam, polyurethane foam, fiberglass, oil based clay, nylon rope, paint, cloth, pipes, leather shoes, wood, metal, cardboard, brush, paper, tape recorder/mixer, tools, tape, wood glue
191.5 x 287.5 x 142 cm / 75 3/8 x 113 1/4 x 55 7/8 in
image by alex delfanne     paul mccarthy, white snow dwarf, grumpy, 2016. bronze
182.9 x 152.4 x 152.4 cm / 72 x 60 x 60 in
image by walla walla foundry

paul mccarthy, white snow dwarf, bashful, 2016. bronze
177.8 x 152.4 x 152.4 cm / 70 x 60 x 60 in
image by walla walla foundry

installation view, ‘paul mccarthy. raw spinoffs continuations’
hauser & wirth new york, 18th street
image by genevieve hanson
© the estate of philip guston, courtesy of hauser & wirth

installation view, ‘paul mccarthy. raw spinoffs continuations’
hauser & wirth new york, 18th street
image by genevieve hanson
© the estate of philip guston, courtesy of hauser & wirth

installation view, ‘paul mccarthy. raw spinoffs continuations’
hauser & wirth new york, 18th street
image by genevieve hanson
© the estate of philip guston, courtesy of hauser & wirth

installation view, ‘paul mccarthy. raw spinoffs continuations’
hauser & wirth new york, 18th street
image by genevieve hanson
© the estate of philip guston, courtesy of hauser & wirth

installation view, ‘paul mccarthy. raw spinoffs continuations’
hauser & wirth new york, 18th street
image by genevieve hanson
© the estate of philip guston, courtesy of hauser & wirth