New works from Frank Gehry's "Fish Lamps" series are on display at London's Gagosian Gallery. The exhibition runs until December 21st. Frank Gehry is internationally renowned as one of the leading contemporary architects, but he also creates sculptures using unique materials, including industrial materials. The series was born in 1983, when he was commissioned by the building materials manufacturer Formica to create a work using Color Core, a cutting-edge plastic sheeting at the time. Gehry accidentally broke the sheeting while working on it, and the resulting fragments resembled fish scales, inspiring the artist. In his new works, the sheets are larger and more rough-hewn than ever before, expanding the scale of his designs by incorporating gigantic pieces. The schools of fish in his works are installed around wooden pedestals, vertically mounted on walls, or suspended from the ceiling like chandeliers, occupying the entire space. The fish are filled with a sense of dynamism, as if swimming through the venue, and soft light spills from between the glued-together scales.
At the preview held on the first day, many invited guests pointed their cameras at the exhibition landscape, and exclamations of admiration were heard from all sides, with some saying, "The beauty of this light is impossible to capture in a photograph." Gehry, who is based in Los Angeles, also made an appearance. Known as a Japanophile, he also said that the design of this series was influenced by the carp depicted by ukiyo-e artist Ando Hiroshige. Original works of this work have been exhibited at the Gagosian Gallery in California and Paris, and will next be shown in Hong Kong.
In 1987, Gehry designed a giant 21-meter-long fish sculpture as a landmark for the Fish Dance Hall, which was built by apparel company World in Meriken Park at Kobe Port and designed by Tadao Ando. In addition, the giant "Tokyo Bench" designed by him is currently on display and in use as a seating (bench) for visitors on the first floor of World's Minami-Aoyama building.
【Event Information】
"FRANK GEHRY: FISH LAMPS"
Venue: Gagosian Gallery London
Address: 17-19 Davies Street London W1K
Dates: November 7th to December 21st
Time: 10:00 to 18:00
Closed: Sundays
