Morgan Fisher, Maureen Paley

Morgan Fisher might not be so well known in the UK, but he has been working for over 40 years. Acclaimed exhibitions under his belt include The Whitney Museum, New York and the Tate Modern Gallery, London. This exhibition will be his second at the Maureen Paley, Bethnal Green, in as many years, following the success of his 2011 Raven Row exhibition.
Morgan Fisher, artist and practice
Fisher works primarily with moving images and his films are usually classified as part of the Structuralist Movement because of the way he transparently uses the medium to demystify the film process and generate new unexpected forms. But don’t be put off by the terminology - to understand these works by Morgan Fisher, film theory is a little necessary. With a humorous and ironic touch, Fisher opens our eyes to the things that happen “behind” the film, such as the discarded subtitle frames, the film crew taking a break or the cuts made in post-production.
In fact, the Morgan Fisher films are an excellent starting point to enjoying video art. The visually accomplished works have the nostalgic feel of the 70s and a narrative that explores the making of film itself without leaving the spectator feeling out of his depth. One example is the short video The Wilkinson Household Fire Alarm (1973) – a “readymade” that as the name implies shows an alarm clock. Knowing that it will go off at any second, the film creates so much tension in the projection room before the unnerving, and uncannily familiar, noise goes off that the viewer wants to run for the door.