Artist Ryan Gander likes nothing more than play camps with his three-year-old daughter. For his latest show at the Lisson Gallery, he has immortalised her den-making in marble.
In what is sure to be a summer crowd puller, Gander has also filled one room with a giant sculpture made of discarded bits of stainless steel - a parody on the overuse of the material. In another, a sculpture of his nose is displayed in a cabinet made of smart glass. But you don't get to see it because as soon as you approach it, the glass clouds over.
Entitled 'The Fallout of Living', the show revolves around themes of visibility and the hidden and reveals Gander as the ultimate visual joker. But Gander is having to share the limelight. In a rare move, and to coincide with the Olympics, the Lisson is hosting a double whammy, with Julian Opie on show in its other gallery along the street. Says Lisson curatorial director Greg Hilty; 'we chose to show both artists simultaneously this August because of the Olympics and because they have international appeal. Opie has been with us since 1983 and Gander has a great presence this year at Documenta in Kassel.'
Opie too, has created an impressive new body of work for the show. His trademark walking figures appear on canvas, granite and stone, and have been reworked with contemporary consumer symbols - Chanel handbags, Superdry shopping bags and smartphones.
There are series of mosaic portraits made by a master craftsman from Rome, and portraits on Perspex of his wife naked. A series of painted Romanesque busts of friends and family are constructed using advanced 3D laser scanner technology. Old forms are juxtaposed with new media and portraits of elegant women adopting Old Masters poses include Diane von Furstenberg in a wrap dress.
And just in case you were in any doubt as to who was on show, a monumental LED sculpture of a galloping horse, stuck high on a plinth in the courtyard, stands above the gallery walls and is visible the whole way down the street.
'I is... (I)', by Ryan Gander, 2012.
'Tell my mother not to worry (ii)', by Ryan Gander, 2012.
'Tell my mother not to worry (ii)', by Ryan Gander, 2012.
'Associative Ghost Template # 2', in Perspex, by Ryan Gander, 2012. Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery
'More really shiny things that don't mean anything', in stainless steel, by Ryan Gander, 2011.Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery
'The way things collide (macaron, meet stool)', by Ryan Gander, 2012, in mixed media. Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery
’The way things collide (macaron, meet stool)’, by Ryan Gander, 2012, in mixed media. Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery
'The way things collide (condom, meet USM cabinet)', by Ryan Gander, 2012, in mixed media (carved beech). Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery
’The way things collide (condom, meet USM cabinet)’, by Ryan Gander, 2012, in mixed media (carved beech). Courtesy of the artist and Lisson Gallery
'Aniela disrobed 7', by Julian Opie, 2011. Enamel on glass (with steel base). © Julian Opie and Lisson Gallery
'Aniela at the spring', by Julian Opie, 2011. Enamel on glass (with steel base). © Julian Opie and Lisson Gallery
'Daniel', by Julian Opie, 2012. Paint on resin (with corian base). © Julian Opie and Lisson Gallery
Installation view at Lisson Gallery. © Julian Opie and Lisson Gallery
'Woman with shopping bag and scarf', by Julian Opie, 2012. Vinyl on wooden stretcher. © Julian Opie and Lisson Gallery
'Man in pinstripe suit with laptop', by Julian Opie, 2012. Vinyl on wooden stretcher. © Julian Opie and Lisson Gallery
'Man in parka', by Julian Opie, 2012. Vinyl on wooden stretcher. © Julian Opie and Lisson Gallery
'Peeing boy' and 'Galloping horse', by Julian Opie, 2012. © Julian Opie and Lisson Gallery
Installation view at Lisson Gallery. Courtesy of Lisson Gallery
ADDRESS
Lisson Gallery
52-54 Bell Street
London, NW1 5DA
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