A Moment in Time: Plaster Surrogates, 1991-1993

Petzel is pleased to present A Moment in Time: Plaster Surrogates, 1991–1993, an exhibition of historical works by American artist Allan McCollum. The show marks McCollum's twelfth solo exhibition with the gallery. This is the gallery's first-ever presentation of the artist's Plaster Surrogates series, bringing together seven works ranging from collections of five to forty. In an age of ever-increasing proliferation of reproductions, McCollum's meticulously crafted, unique Plaster Surrogates, which destabilize the traditional hierarchies between originals and copies, remain more relevant than ever. The Plaster Surrogates mark a decisive turn in McCollum's investigation into how an artwork can serve as a sign for itself. Cast from molds yet unmistakably shaped by the artist's hand, each object is carefully painted, center and frame alike, in enamel, allowing subtle shifts in brushwork, surface, and tone to register across the works. No combination of size, frame color, or mat hue is ever repeated, and each Surrogate asserts its own material specificity, even as it participates in the logic of seriality.