Fischli and Weiss Retrospective at Guggenheim Explores Everyday Absurdity Through Pragmatist Lens

Peter Fischli and David Weiss's retrospective "How to Work Better" ran at the Guggenheim Museum in New York from February 5 to April 27, 2016. The exhibition showcased their 33-year collaborative practice that humorously investigates mundane reality. Empty rat and panda costumes displayed at the museum's entrance symbolized their playful approach to artistic labor. Their methodology aligns with philosopher John Dewey's Pragmatist view that knowledge emerges from lived experience rather than abstract thought. Early works like the 1979 Sausage series featured photographic dioramas using processed meats to depict ordinary scenes, challenging the era's dominant conceptual art. Order and Cleanliness (1981) presented hand-lettered diagrams that systematically deconstructed binary thinking through absurd classifications. Suddenly this Overview (1981/2006) comprised approximately 200 unfired clay sculptures depicting random historical and cultural references with childlike execution. The video The Least Resistance (1980-81) documented the artists' comical attempts at filmmaking in Los Angeles while wearing the same animal costumes. Later installations like Walls, Corners, Tubes (2009-12) featured large-scale black rubber and gray clay forms resembling sewer components, displayed alongside Kanal Video (1992) shot in Zürich's drainage system. Their work consistently merges levity with serious inquiry into perception and categorization.