Joel Fisher studied at Kenyon College in Ohio and obtained a PhD from the University of Sunderland (UK). He began his career with installations of handmade paper, his ‘apographs’. In the late 1970s, he switched to sculpture. Material plays an important role for the artist, his preference being for modesty and simplicity. At the start of his career, Fisher worked with clothing, hair and handmade paper. Later he also added bronze, papier-mâché and ceramics. Fisher examines the role of materiality within his artistic production and explores the sculptural potential of diverse materials. Focusing on the production process, he makes everything he uses from scratch. He challenges his chosen medium, with coincidence being an important factor. During the creation of his work, he allows the material to reveal its own potential. His actions during this process also influence the final form. Fisher’s sculptures are sober, simple and abstract. With his work, the artist explores the unnoticed and unobtrusive, such as the imperfections and coincidental patterns in handmade paper.
Fisher’s works can be found in museum collections worldwide, such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, MOMA in New York, the art museums of Bern, Lucerne and Geneva, and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The artist has received a number of prestigious prizes for his work.
