Philosophical Art Jokes (Peter Fischli & David Weiss)

101102100103104105106107108109110111

By Peter Fischli (b. 1952) and David Weiss, the philosophical art joke works upon the juxtaposition between the sublime and ridiculous, between the high-concept and cheap material means. With its obsessive multiplication of cheap little clay figures, Suddenly This Overview is Hegelian in its comprehensive scope –historical, natural, architectural, cinematic, philosophical– but with no logic binding the random parts together into a consistent whole, and with no orienting material context. Walking through the piece, the details detain you. Check out the Large Question Pot and Questions. They both build on the same basis, but here the construction is a spoof on Plato. An swirling infinity of questions loop in and out and around the inner lining of the large cave-like pot of the one;  illuminated brightly across the dark wall of the other.

116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130

About zjb

Zachary Braiterman is Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion at Syracuse University. His specialization is modern Jewish thought and philosophical aesthetics. http://religion.syr.edu
This entry was posted in uncategorized and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Philosophical Art Jokes (Peter Fischli & David Weiss)

  1. dmf says:

    Tsunami is great.

Leave a Reply