Marlborough is pleased to present Double Deck, an exhibition by Paul McCarthy and Mike Bouchet.
Contemporary art transgresses the very notion of the artwork as it is commonly accepted and understood. The artistic act no longer resides in the manufacture of the object but in its conception, in the discourses that accompany it, the reactions to which it gives rise, and so on. The work may be ephemeral, changing, biodegradable, blasphemous, or indecent. This is the work of McCarthy and Bouchet, who work on transient installations that challenge the status and the very architecture of the building that welcomes their show. Sometimes they go to extremes, mocking popular icons, like the Walt Disney industry, while also touching on religion and other topics. Therefore their works are situated at the junction of sensationalism and popular culture. The two artists are known for removing familiar objects from their usual contexts and transforming them into something unexpected. In their work, they explore the subversive universe of consumerism and idolatry, through an effort aimed at disorienting the viewer.
Mike Bouchet and Paul McCarthy are making work that is critical within art spaces, art institutions, and their own role in art. By this very virtue, they are also opening up methods of creative gestures, emphasizing the artists role as comedic relief, and creating situations that touch on important points in our time through the use of humor and artistic observations.
Works
