Pet Stains, Puddles, and Full Gospel Neckless

In 1992, when asked by Ulrich Loock about the relationship of his work to the viewer, Taylor responded, “If somebody… see[s] a bunch of Plexiglas with paint poured on it, what are they going to think? What I want them to see is levitation, literally. I am trying to find a state of suspended belief with this work, something akin to Japanese Noh Theater. If a viewer realizes that they are looking at drawings of levitated urine stains they might laugh, but when they leave the exhibition and they come across a dog piss stain on the street they might approach it differently. Art should give you a new perception, new ways of seeing life. Is how they see it the artist’s decision or the viewer’s choice or a combination of both? I don’t really know, but the pet stain works are just focusing exercises.”

Installation view, Al Taylor

Installation view, "Al Taylor: Pet Stains, Puddles, and Full Gospel Neckless," David Zwirner, New York, 2015.
© 2015 The Estate of Al Taylor.










Full Gospel Neckless (Pipe Bomb), 1997, Pencil and gouache on paper
22 1/2 x 14 3/4 inches, © 2015 The Estate of Al Taylor, Courtesy David Zwirner Gallery





Untitled (Pet Stains), 1990, Xerographic toner with solvent on paper, 35 1/4 x 46 inches
© 2015 The Estate of Al Taylor, Courtesy David Zwirner