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22 april 2024, Flor Linckens

The waiting room revisited: Sylvie Fleury in Galerie van Gelder

Waiting room, Galerie van Gelder

Until 22 May, Galerie van Gelder in Amsterdam is presenting an installation by Sylvie Fleury. 'Waiting Room' (1994) had its premiere at Galerie van Gelder and now, thirty years later, the installation is once again on display at the gallery. The work comprises minimal elements that sketch a clear situation, even without knowledge of the name of the work: a low coffee table, three chairs, and 21 fashion magazines, somewhat messily stacked. Fleury's work is also currently featured in a major solo exhibition at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam (on view until 8 September 2024).

Sylvie Fleury's distinctive and multidisciplinary practice is marked by a certain stubbornness and includes sculpture, installation, performance and painting. The artist frequently employs readymades, appropriating elements from the worlds of fashion, cosmetics and sports. That includes magazines, billboards, a (golden) shopping cart, or eyeshadow palettes enlarged to such an extent that they acquire an element of abstraction. She is interested in themes such as gender, beauty, our consumerism that borders on fetishism and our attitudes towards luxury (goods). The artist often adds a conceptual and provocative layer to her work, hoping to encourage us to critically rethink the underlying social and cultural values: why do we attach value and meaning to certain (superficial) things — and do we actually do that ourselves, or is that decided for us? How is it, for instance, that the consumption patterns of women differ so much from those of men?

Sylvie Fleury, VOGUE, 1992

Fleury holds up a mirror in which we are confronted with our (unconscious) values and biases and the extent to which we have internalised them. She frequently uses stereotypically 'feminine' products as symbols, as a means to explore traditional gender roles and the objectification of women. Occasionally, she also delves into realms that are generally associated with the work of men, such as motorsports and space travel, but also the art world and art history. She hopes to undermine this male dominance with a skillful touch of satire and irony.

Sylvie Fleury was born in Geneva in 1961. In 1990, she had her first exhibition under her own name, showcasing her work alongside that of John M. Armleder and Olivier Mosset. Prior to that, she lived in New York for several years and worked under a pseudonym. Since then, her work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale (1993), the São Paulo Biennale and in the Bass Art Museum in Miami, the Song Art Museum in Beijing and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Her work has been included in the collections of MoMA, Centre Pompidou and UBS and in 2018, she received the prestigious Prix Meret Oppenheim.

'Waiting Room' by Sylvie Fleury will be on display at Galerie van Gelder in Amsterdam until 22 May 2024.

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Flor Linckens

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22 april 2024, Flor Linckens

The waiting room revisited: Sylvie Fleury in Galerie van Gelder

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