FIXING | John Fleischer
Hair + Nails is pleased to present Fixing by John Fleischer exhibited concurrently with an exhibition by Lamia Abukhadra.
In FIXING, John Fleischer presents sculptures and drawings on canvas. In reflecting on the new work, Fleischer considers “languages that emerge from organs other than the mind. Think heart, for example. Think kidney, liver, or spleen.”
About John Fleischer’s FIXING:
There are languages that emerge from organs other than the mind. Think heart, for example. Think kidney, liver, or spleen.
In 2018 researchers from NYU found what appeared to be a previously unidentified organ in the human body. Provisionally dubbed the interstitium, the organ is described as a network of fluid- filled compartments that lies just beneath the surface of the skin.
Although the interstitium was there in plain sight all along, it was overlooked due to the limited view supported by established research methods. The common practice of fixing - fragmenting the body’s tissues into thin slices for microscopic viewing - destroyed the interstitium and prevented researchers from glimpsing the larger whole.
Fix as in fasten. Fix as in secure. I need a fix. The outcome was fixed. That’s quite a fix you’ve gotten yourself into. Don’t worry, we can fix it.
Some researchers believe the cells that line the interstitium respond to wounds inflicted on the body and contribute to healing. Others suggest that these cells might contribute to the development of autoimmune disorders, which occur when the body's natural defense systems no longer distinguish between healthy tissue and potentially harmful antigens. Instead of repairing the body, the drive to fix that which has been identified as broken or foreign becomes pathological. The form attacks itself.
—John Fleischer
Artist Bio:
John Fleischer is a Minnesota-based artist who works on a spectrum ranging from images and objects to sound, actions, and environments. John has presented projects at venues such as the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art (Grand Rapids, MI), Kunstverein Graftschaft Bentheim (Neuenhaus, Germany), the Rochester Art Center (Rochester, MN), and Hair+Nails (Minneapolis, MN).
insta: @jhnflschr
Gallery Hours:
Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays 1:00- 5:00 starting October 15 through November 12.
Showing alongside The hammer seizes its actuality | Lamia Abukhadra
Image: JOHN FLEISCHER, FIXING (2023), Courtesy of the artist.
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