Do you have a favourite paperweight? Is it one of those classic glass prisms from the 90’s, or maybe a special rock? Well, when was the last time you even used a paperweight? Oh, you don’t actually use paper anymore? These are some of the heavy questions we asked each other when we found out about The Paperweight Show, the inaugural show launching brand new gallery Fisher Parrish into our orbits.
Fisher Parrish is a space that’s just opened up in Bushwick, Brooklyn and they’ve certainly made a weighty impression with this first group show. The exhibition features sculptural paperweights by more than 100 artists and designers. Herald the paperweight as pointless, useless or even borderline redundant if you like; the obsolete state of the object is exactly what inspired the gallery to curate a show like this.
From ceramics to metal, glass, wood, stone and paper, each artist has a unique and interesting take on the object. Camilla Iliefsii has created a paper book as her paperweight and Jim Oliviera’s stack of hotcakes are glossy, goopy and tantalising in texture. And, of course, no showcase on paperweights would be complete without a snow globe, which Katherine Gray and Eric Huebsch tackled with their beer can made of glass. The show also features work by Odd Pears favourites Jessica Hans, Alex Reed, Esther Ruiz, Lazy Mom, Jesse Moretti, Linda Lopez and Soft Baroque.
The works make for a wonderful collection of sculptures and, hey, we bet they all make excellent paperweights too!
See more from Fisher Parrish —