I have two distinct reactions to exhibitions. I either love it so much that I immediately come home to write about it, or I sit on the experience and let it ruminate in my mind for weeks. I went to the Urs Fischer exhibit at MOCA a week and a half ago, and I am still thinking about it.
The artist defies a cogent description. All I knew of Fischer prior to the show was that he had a gallery show in NYC where he excavated the gallery space. Within 2 seconds of walking into MOCA it is clear that Fischer likes to destroy and morph every aspect of his exhibition space. From slow melting wax sculptures and suspended fruit to blown out holes in the gallery walls, Fisher eschews stasis.
Weeks later, I still struggle to mentally synthesize the raindrops in “Horses Dream of Horses” with the “Bread House” (yes it was a house made of bread which certainly curbed my craving for carbs for a day or two). What I saw was quite remarkable. Every inch of the gallery space provides an opportunity for commentary, from the slick black vinyl floors to the sloppily whitewashed walls.
MOCA’s triumph with this show is that they chose to go “all in” with Fischer and opened up the Geffen Contemporary to “Yes”, a collaborative project that transformed the Geffen into a claymaking studio. Over 1,500 people were invited to mold clay in the museum with the results now on display. Here’s a great video of the process. This is one of the best curated shows I’ve seen at MOCA in a long time.
Culture Shock Art 
The art looks cool, but, the “excavation” piece was basically done before by Chris Burden in 1986. It was called “Exposing the Foundations of the Museum” http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/reviews/davis/semi-post-postmodernism5-15-10_detail.asp?picnum=7
I guess Urs Fischer has a slightly different twist, but it’s a bit like putting a urinal in a gallery, signing your name, and it somehow not being a recycling of Duchamp. Or how about a new painting of melting watches?
You are right, good call on Burden. I’d add Renee Magritte’s “Son of Man” to the list too. I think that’s part of the challenge with Fischer’s work. It’s so diverse that similarities are almost inevitable.