Franz West in New York, NY

I knew I was going to love this show, and I was right. The 7 paper mache, foam, gauze, cardboard wood, steel, acrylic paint works by Franz West made me feel as if I walked into a dream. Echolalia from 2010 had not been shown in more than ten years. All seven pieces are on wheels, so they can easily be moved around. The piece was listed “in ten parts”, which included the three pieces of furniture. West made furniture as well, and the immersive scene was full of people just hanging out. It was a beautiful set up with the sun shining in through the sky lights. I love totemic sculpture and I inspected each piece multiple times. The bases of each piece were cool, most were large found plastic buckets and one was stacked luggage. I honestly hated to leave.

“Executed in 2010, only a few years before the artist’s death, Echolalia consists of seven colorful, larger-than-life sculptures that seem to stand slightly off-balance, interspersed with three cushioned divans. The work’s title—which refers to the repetition of words and sounds made by young children when learning to talk—was inspired by the artist’s son, who at the time of its creation was three years old and brought his own, distinct perspective to his father’s oversized works.” (David Zwirner)

Read this for more information on the show which is open through April 15, 2023. I’m going to see it again on Thursday. I only wish I could see the concurrent show in Paris.

I’m not in Seattle now, otherwise I’d be posting photos of two of the best paper mache pieces that I’ve held onto from my kids. Both large. I’ll make sure and update this post when I head back to the West Coast.

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