Jordan Wolfson's Gagosian Show Features 9/11 And Koons-Inspired Works

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Artist Jordan Wolfson's first New York gallery exhibition in a decade opened at Gagosian last Friday, precisely one week after the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The show includes three new sculptures that reference the events of that day.

One sculpture presents an architectural model of the World Trade Center in solemn black and white. Another features a pixelated image of the Twin Towers at dusk, seemingly sourced from the internet. A third piece displays the Freedom Tower, with its metallic surface gleaming in the sunlight. While Wolfson's prior work, such as a gyrating cyborg monster or a chained child doll, often provoked strong reactions, the current exhibition has been described as unexpectedly unprovocative. Wolfson himself called it a“very traditional sculpture show.”

The untitled exhibition consists entirely of aluminum sculptures, most of which are propped against a wall in a windowless room. All pieces feature spikes at their corners, and nearly all have polished, reflective centers. With the exception of two works, large photographic prints are inset into the sculptures. A gallery sign warns of“mature content” and“sharp edges,” advising adults to supervise children. A guard also cautioned against touching the spikes.

The works draw inspiration from Minimalism, referencing artists like Richard Serra, particularly in two photo-less ramp-like sculptures positioned in the gallery's center. Other pieces incorporate images alluding to various art historical moments. One work reinterprets Jeff Koons's“Made in Heaven” series (1989–91), which depicted Koons and Cicciolina in explicit poses. Wolfson's version features a nude Koons, cupping Cicciolina's thighs while she exposes her vulva, rendered with AI-generated“Pixar DILF” aesthetics, which has been critiqued as a mild interpretation.

Wolfson also addresses Robert Mapplethorpe, whose S&M-themed photographs sparked a culture war in the United States. However, Wolfson again opts for a less controversial approach, using a 1984 photograph of two tulips in a black void, rather than Mapplethorpe's more explicit works. The exhibition checklist notes that Wolfson secured permission from the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation for this image. Another work targets Philip Guston, featuring an AI-modified version of his 1969 painting The Studio, which depicts a Klansman at an easel. This piece is deemed belated by critics, arriving six years after the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., delayed a Guston retrospective in 2020 due to concerns over public understanding of KKK imagery.

The overarching theme of the exhibition remains unclear as Wolfson has not provided an explanation. However, the critic suggests a possible connection: many of the referenced artists, including Koons, Mapplethorpe, and Guston, have had their art labeled as déclassé. Wolfson also incorporates subjects often viewed similarly, such as Bob Dylan (with AI-generated pecs), Victorian pornography, Shrek the Musical, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, whose art was the subject of a 2015 protest movement,“Renoir Sucks at Painting.” The show was teased with an image of a New York City street during the 1968 sanitation workers' strike, suggesting a“bad” aesthetics theme. Despite their provocative themes, the works are described as not sufficiently transgressive to cause significant controversy for Wolfson.

We previously reported:

Jordan Wolfson's new Gagosian exhibition in New York features AI-generated imagery and references to Bob Dylan, 9/11, and Jeff Koons.

Source: ARTnews

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