Water works: Urs Fischer’s fountains on show at LA’s Gagosian Gallery

The exceptional in the art world runs from out of the box sculpture to cutting edge paintings, photography and even video but Neo-Dadaist Urs Fischer, whose work can be found in the permanent collections of prestigious museums worldwide is now broadening his reach considerably. He’s just swerved away a bit from the sculptural and turned to the functional with Gagosian’s Beverly Hills outpost currently showcasing ‘Urs Fischer Fountains.’

For the Zurich born, New York-based Fischer, his latest oeuvre bares no relation to conventional fountains in shape. Dubbed ‘active sculptures’, they range in shape and materials; one a rather skeleton form, cast in bronze; others hand built clay models, powder coated in white with the rims in rosy raw bronze. Installed, they transform routine white spaces into rather village like squares where visitors saunter around the fountains which are flanked by Fischer’s newest compelling paintings.

‘He pushes the boundaries of traditional sculpture to include fully operative fountains,’ says Deborah McLeod, Gagosian director. ’What an unexpected thrill to confront a noisy gush of water more than ten feet high in one gallery, and an elegantly tiered fountain misting and flowing gently in another,’ she adds referring to the experiential nature of the works.

So although California remains plagued with a dire drought, the environmentally conscious Fischer ‘s creations hew to responsible water usage as each contains their own recycling systems. Simply consider that the projected water usage for the month-long exhibition is close to 300 gallons of water; far less than the average daily use of one household.

With dealer Jeffrey Deitch, actor Chole Sevigny and artist Julian Schnabel amidst a sea of collectors all turning out for the opening, Fischer’s fountains hit the spot.