Gail Thacker, Rafael, 1996, Polaroid 665, 9.5 x 12 cm
The exhibition Life of a Flower at Galerie Max Mayer explores the practice of artist and performer Rafael Sánchez within a cross section of works created by his intimate collaborators and friends—Ellen Cantor, Jim Fletcher, Mark Morrisroe, and Gail Thacker.
The works on view reflect upon shared artistic commitments and sensibilities transmitted across intimate relationships. Themes of desire, exile, grief, sexuality, humor, horror and beauty appear throughout the exhibition, woven together through the interaction of real and fictional narratives.
Working through the idea of artistic communication as a social process, Life of a Flower positions Sánchez’s practice amidst overlapping contexts and solidarities. Conversely, the artist himself functions in the exhibition as a kind of prism, reflecting his own idiosyncratic vision and refracting a specific moment in overlapping artistic investments. Through this interplay, the exhibition explores conceptions of collaboration and intimacy, highlighting the inherently social character of authorship itself.
Curated by Alex Fleming and Gloria Hasnay