Fischli and Weiss, “Things from the Room in the Back” (1999–2000)

“Sometimes I feel like my practice is between Jeff Koons and Tony Smith, or Richard Serra, because as artists, we are all talking about the same thing, essentially. It’s about this connection between mind and matter — how something is conceptual and formal at the same time. Fischli and Weiss are artists that I admire for this: They manage to put an enormous amount of craft into their illusions. I remember when I first saw this piece at Sonnabend Gallery, people didn’t think these objects were constructed, but they are all cast pieces. It takes a lot of labor to make something look accidental.”

© Peter Fischli David Weiss, courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery, New York