photography by ALEX ANTITCH
style by CAROLINE GAIMARI
All customized NIKE sneakers by TOM SACHS
Last year, Tom called to invite me for a tea ceremony. He had transformed a section of his wunderkammer studio into a subversion of a Japanese tea house, constructed with Con Edison excavation barriers and blue foam instead of rice paper and bamboo. I was deeply entranced in Tom’s remix of the tea ceremony when he stunned me by lifting the lid of a lacquer box that I assumed would contain an exquisite tea biscuit. Instead of a biscuit, it was a perfectly measured line of cocaine. The ceremony was confounding, but the taste of the carefully sourced matcha was transporting.
Some months later, Tom told me the good news that his entire tea house along with its extensive Japanese garden and his bronze bonsai tree (made from 3,500 casts of
Q-tips, tampon cases, tooth brushes, and enema nozzles) would be the focus of a major exhibition at The Noguchi Museum. In addition, his “Boombox Retrospective,” which had been enthusiastically received in Austin, would be coming to the Brooklyn Museum. Tom suggested that maybe now was the time to present the gallery show that
we had been discussing for 20 years.
Tom’s proposal for our gallery show was “Nuggets,” a presentation of his Sachsified versions of Modernist masterpieces. The doorbell to Tom’s Centre Street studio
is marked “Brancusi.” Appropriately, the major work in the exhibition is Tom’s response to Constantin Brancusi’s Le Coq, perfectly crafted from plywood, resin, and sheet metal screws, rather than marble. In Michel Gondry’s film Be Kind Rewind, the protagonists, video store clerks played by Jack Black and Mos Def, remake their favorite movies in the vacant lot behind the shop after they have inadvertently erased the store’s inventory. Their so-called “sweded” versions of movies become more popular with their customers than the originals. In his way, Tom has been “sweding” the icons of modern art and consumer culture his whole career. We will find out whether the audience prefers Tom’s reboot of Brancusi to the real thing.
There is an aesthetic equivalence in Tom’s world between icons of modern art and icons of contemporary consumer culture. Tom’s sculpture of a laundry basket, meticulously crafted out of plywood and resin, is mounted on a museum pedestal with the same reverence as his Brancusi. He worships the brilliantly efficient design of the lowly cinderblock as much as he admires a stacked sculpture by Donald Judd. My favorite “Nugget” is Tom’s astonishing and functioning exact-size reconstruction of a photocopy machine, perhaps the true icon of postmodernism. Tom’s work embodies a contradiction at the core of his unique aesthetic: his veneration of the purity of modern art and industrial design, and his love of bricolage and handicraft. His works are fabricated with the combination of industrial rigor and handmade artistry that have become his trademark.
The works in “Nuggets” span the spectrum of Tom’s artistic, cultural, and sociological interests, from Brancusi to McDonald’s. Among the resonant works are his Kelly Bag in plywood, canvas, steel, resin, latex, and nylon, and his plywood, latex, and epoxy Milk Crate, with steel hardware, his homage to a masterpiece of modern design. There is also Nutritional Facts, a giant wood burned chart of the nutritional content of the full McDonald’s menu. The three-dimensional works are presented on pedestals like rare tribal sculpture in the Metropolitan’s Michael C. Rockefeller Wing.
Tom Sachs is one of the rare artists who does not just create works of art; he also has constructed an entire aesthetic world. His studio is a bricoleur’s dream factory, itself one of his greatest artworks. From his distinctive handwriting to his influential films, Tom is always making art. — JEFFREY DEITCH
Blue and brown checked wool top and pants MARNI Tom Sachs, "Chumon (Middle Gate)", 2016 and Isamu Noguchi, "Break Through Capestrano", 1982 at Tom Sachs: Tea Ceremony at The Noguchi Museum
Blue pleated turtleneck dress BYBLOS Tom Sachs, "Shoe" Library, 2014, and "Bench", 2016
Grey wool patchwork dress SPORTMAX Tom Sachs, "Pond Berm", 2016
Chiharu wears brown silk and wool overalls KRIZIA over a blue striped knit turtleneck SONIA RYKIEL Ali wears a red wool cut-out sweater and navy checked cotton pants ISABEL MARANT with a burgundy organza shirt MULBERRY Tom Sachs, "Tsukubai", 2014 and "Ishidoro", 2015
Dark blue embroidered silk dress DIOR Tom Sachs, "Pond Berm", 2016 (foreground), Isamu Noguchi, "Mountain Breaking Theater", 1984 (background right), and Tom Sachs, "Hyper Pixel Display v1", 2016 (background left)
White cotton top and pants with black leather platform shoes DIESEL BLACK GOLD Tom Sachs, "Sawhaus", 2015
Magdalena wears a cream twill Expedic parka coat and Dadin 3D denim jeans G-STAR RAW Chiharu wears a Staircase long cotton denim puffer coat ADAM SELMAN Tom Sachs "Waiting Arbor", 2015
Chiharu wears a multicolor twist silk dress SIES MARJAN Ali wears a white printed leather dress DROME Viviane wears a blue cotton poplin Jacquard wrap shirt and a yellow satin skirt PORTS 1961 Magdalena wears a Monet blue mohair sweater VIONNET over a blue sheer shirt with a pleated skirt ARTHUR ARBESSER Tom Sachs, "Tea House", 2011-2012
Ashley wears a navy linen and cotton jumpsuit A.P.C. Tom Sachs and his team wear their Ten Bullets uniform work smocks
White and black fine-knit turtleneck dress PROENZA SCHOULER
Black silk floral fil coupé and python print panel dress BURBERRY
White silk organza and floral printed crepe blouse CARVEN
Red silk sweater, burgundy wool pants, and brown leather shoes BERLUTI
Navy linen and cotton jumpsuit A.P.C.
Long red velvet dress with sequins NINA RICCI and red suede Tattoo sandals GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI DESIGN Tom Sachs, "Presidential Vampire Booth", 2002 (foreground), and "Euronor", 2012 (background)
Zuri wears a silver leather Channel 5 slip dress ADAM SELMAN over a silver lurex turtleneck ISABEL MARANT with black and silver patent leather Lucrezia pumps GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI DESIGN Jazzelle wears a Klein blue lurex dress GOLDEN GOOSE DELUXE BRAND with her own white platforms Alice wears a red velvet gown with sequins NINA RICCI and red suede Tattoo sandals GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI DESIGN Tom Sachs, "Euronor", 2012
Zuri wears a black organza geometric top and skirt EMPORIO ARMANI with white Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers CONVERSE Alice wears a gray ribbed wool sweater KENZO, gray satin pants ISABEL MARANT, and silver leather sneakers GOLDEN GOOSE DELUXE BRAND Jazzelle wears a multicolor striped angora sweater MAX MARA, a Jacquard checkered wool mini skirt MISSONI Tom Sachs, "Defender", 2000
Zipped top and pants with a belt and suspenders DIESEL BLACK GOLD Tom Sachs, "Toyan's", 2002
Zuri wears a blue striped knit turtleneck SONIA RYKIEL and a blue merino wool kimono knit skirt COURRÈGES Avi wears a copper silk turtleneck and black wool pants BERLUTI Tom Sachs, "Bodega", 2014
Zuri wears a blue striped knit turtleneck SONIA RYKIEL and a blue merino wool kimono knit skirt COURRÈGES Avi wears a copper silk turtleneck and black wool pants BERLUTI Tom Sachs, "Bodega", 2014
Red and black wool sweater and black wool pants BERLUTI
Zuri wears a blue striped knit turtleneck SONIA RYKIEL Alice wears a multicolor motorcycle jacket MISSONI over a navy linen and cotton jumpsuit A.P.C. and a red turtleneck COURRÈGES
Charlie wears a blue and black wool cardigan over a black cotton top with wool pants, pink cotton socks, and black leather sneakers BERLUTI Ashley wears a black and white cotton top, checkered pants, and leather zip-up boots RAG & BONE (front left to right) Tom Sachs, "Generator", 2013, "Le Cock", 2015, "Pink Kelly Bag", 2016 and "Milk Crate", 2014
Red check wool Savage shirt CARHARTT, red vinyl mini skirt COURRÈGES, black and white Old Skool sneakers VANS, and Simone's own jewelry and sunglasses Tom Sachs, "Generator", 2013
Blue satin bomber jacket and dress DIESEL
Ocher leather jacket, green and camel leather and nubuck pants, and calfskin Lexie boots CHLOÉ
Natural cotton apron dress over a white cut-out shoulder sweater ERIKA CAVALLINI
Black silk floral fil coupé and python print panel dress BURBERRY
Avie Acosta and Max Masters at WILHELMINA MODELS, Alice First, Jacquelyn Jablonski, Ali Michael, and Zuri Tibby at IMG, Magdalena Jasek at OUI MANAGEMENT, Chiharu Okunugi and Jazzelle at NY MODELS, Viviane Oliveira at MC2, Ashley Smith at THE SOCIETY MANAGEMENT, Simone Thompson at THE LIONS, Charlie Himmelstein and Matthew Shapiro, models — Dennis DeVoy at ART DEPARTMENT, hair —Chris Colbeck at ART DEPARTMENT using DIOR ADDICT, make-up — Zoran Jelenic, digital technician — Jason Lasswell and Sam Katz, photographer’s assistants — Paige Silveria and Ali Kornhauser, stylist’s assistants
[Table of contents]
High-speed Historical Accidents
by Heji Shin and Bernadette Van-Huy
by John Jefferson Selve
by Angelo Flaccavento
by Karley Sciortino
by Xerxes Cook
by Bob Nickas
by Olivier Zahm
by Glenn O'Brien
by Terry Richardson
by Olivier Zahm
by Katerina Jebb and Olivier Zahm
by Petra Collins
by Jack Davison
by Max Farago
by Olivier Zahm
by Casper Sejersen
by Heji Shin and Bernadette Van-Huy
by Andreas Larsson
by Chikashi Suzuki
by Simon Liberati
by Bill Powers
by Jean De Loisy
by Jeff Rian
by Maurizio Cattelan
by Sven Schumann