Eric Doeringer – Edward Ruscha – John Baldessari – Charles Ray
Katharine Mulherin, Los Angeles, 2010
Eric Doeringer - Edward Ruscha - John Baldessari - Charles Ray presents seminal artworks by three artists closely associated with Los Angeles, as recreated by New York City-based artist Eric Doeringer. Doeringer, who is infamous for creating inexpensive “Bootleg” versions of contemporary artworks, has recently focused on the period during the late 60’s and early 70’s when many artists attempted to remove traces of their hand from their work. By remaking these supposedly “artless” works, Doeringer raises questions of authorship, identity, and originality.
Edward Ruscha’s books Some Los Angeles Apartments (1965) and Real Estate Opportunities (1970) were inspired by the anonymous photographs accompanying real estate listings. In 2009, Doeringer visited all of the sites featured in Ruscha’s books, photographing them from the same vantage point and caer angle. Doeringer’s books mimic the format and layout of Ruscha’s originals, but substitute Doeringer’s photographs of each location.
Similarly, Stains is a contemporary remake of a Ruscha project from 1969 - a boxed portfolio of 76 stains. Doeringer sourced all of the materials featured in Ruscha’s portfolio (shellac, ketchup, gunpowder, leather dye, Los Angeles tap water, etc,) and created a nearly-identical artwork, although Doeringer’s stains are 49 years “younger” than Ruscha’s.
John Baldessari’s A Painting That Is Its Own Documentation (1968) was painted by a professional sign painter and lists the dates that the canvas was conceived, built, commissioned, and completed, as well as its exhibition history (which must be updated every time the painting is shown). Doeringer hired a sign painter in Los Angeles to create a similar work with dates corresponding to the new painting’s genesis in 2010. Over time, the disparities between Doeringer’s and Baldessari’s paintings will grow as each work records its own history.
Charles Ray’s All My Clothes (1973) is a series of sixteen photographs showing the young artist modeling his entire wardrobe. Doeringer’s recreation follows Ray’s concept and format but depicts Doeringer. While Ray’s piece presents itself as an objective self portrait, Doeringer’s work raises the possibility that both pieces are self-conscious constructions of the artists’ identities.
