artist statement

Chuck Fischer’s abstract Tableaux Reliefs break the plane of two-dimensional painting. He creates textured and dimensional work that has been intricately hand cut and assembled from wood and aluminum to bring the surface of the work into conversation with its mazelike depth. He creates visual complexity by varying the depth, color, and texture of each piece to draw the viewer inside the work. Recently he began incorporating trompe l’oeil painted fabric casually draped over parts of the work inspired by the exhibition, Cubism and the Trompe L’oeil Tradition seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He does not sketche before starting a new piece but trusts his intuition and the materials at hand to guide him as he creates works of spatial balance and harmony.

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Many themes could be said to be running throughout all artists' works in different ways. For some artists it is addressed through formal abstraction no less full of reference and signification. Viewers should take time to relish in the visual pleasure of how Chuck Fischer makes his work and the perceptual acrobatics at play.

Alex Klein

Senior Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art

University of Pennsylvania

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Fischer committed to a full-time studio practice only in 2016. He has some architecture background and has published several pop-up books, and both of those visual languages seem to linger in Fischer’s layers upon layers of intricate geometric components painstakingly painted and textured before being attached to the composition. And yet he works spontaneously and by instinct, so he doesn’t make any sketches or have a composition in mind before he approaches a blank canvas. His materials are somewhat humble, just things you could find in a typical art supply store or hardware store, and he is always looking for new and interesting surfaces to play with. Ultimately this work is about harmony and finding the balance among all these disparate elements. Chuck said that he likes to start with maybe a shape or a color and build from there, adding surprises along the way and finding the way to make it all come together. He calls these surprising elements the counterpoints, a musical term that can aptly be applied to these lyrical, no symphonic, images. The layering runs deep, and one can really get lost in the mazes he creates just like you can lose yourself in a piece of music.

In fact, comparing Chuck’s work to music is really the best way to describe them. They are musical, meditative mazes that allow a viewer to roam freely throughout finding new passages and ways through. They beckon you to get lost inside the maze, but not in an ominous way. There is at once the thrill of discover and the peace that you are in a safe space. And just like music, every time you approach Fischer’s work, you’ll find something new.

Casey Monda - Curator and art advisor