At first glance, the sculptures in Paul Gabrielli’s Generally appear as readymades, grouped together by functionality and a common theme. On closer inspection, however, deconstructed ideas of ideal objects appear. In his second show at Invisible-Exports, pedestrian objets trouvés are paired in three-dimensional investigations of functionality and perception.
In five assemblage works in the front room—like a lavatory soap dispenser and air freshener, or a flashlight and surveillance camera—Gabrielli knowingly exploits the habits we have as viewers of inspecting readymades as heightened to the state of art. That is, the object brought in off the street that is then afforded more consideration than we normally give. In one visit, I spent more time looking at the smoke detector in “Untitled (Alarm Bell 1)” than I ever have at the one in my kitchen.
“Untitled (Alarm Bell),” by Paul Gabrielli. Courtesy of the artist and INVISIBLE-EXPORTS.
Central to Gabrielli’s project is the visual means by which we observe physical objects. The blurred manufacturer’s label on a smoke detector in “Untitled (Alarm Bell 1)” mirrors the way light is processed through the eye and projected into the brain. We create categories of items for quick reference and ignore huge amounts of visual information in order to process our environments.
As the viewer examines the works and addresses the intended juxtapositions, the objects appear in a liminal state between functionalities. Asking how the objects function together or apart exposes them as individual objects devoid of intent and purpose. It is in the careful pairing that these works emerge from the fog of everyday life to become representations of idealized objects. When the boundary between object and material disappears, what remains?
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Through March 27, Invisible-Exports, 14A Orchard St., 212-226-5447.
