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Paul McCarthy
Piccadilly Circus, 2003

Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth

Paul McCarthy

Collection

45 color photographs
40.8 x 28.7 cm / 28.7 x 40.8 cm, Framed: 42 x 30 x 2.5 cm / 30 x 42 x 2.5 cm

For the opening of Hauser & Wirth Gallery in 2003 in a former London bank building, Paul McCarthy conceived the performance/installation Piccadilly Circus. McCarthy created puppetish characters with oversized masks and clownish costumes that give the figures a comic-like quality and refer to notable leaders of our time. The often disturbing actions hint at powerful psychological dysfunctions like regression, self-destructiveness, and obsession. With the characters multiplying their images and growing increasingly indistinct, an impression of increasing isolation and helplessness forces itself on the viewer. The key moments of the performance can be seen in the 45-part photo series, Piccadilly Circus and in the photography installation, "Basement Bunker: Painted Queen Small Blue Room".

*1945 in Salt Lake City, USA I Living and working in Los Angeles, USA

Paul McCarthyPiccadilly Circus, 2003

Paul McCarthy
Piccadilly Circus, 2003