The back of beyond

You have to have some nerve to show nothing at a New York gallery and, walking into Lisa Cooley’s space on the Lower East Side, that’s pretty much what you got from Fiona Connor. Until you got closer to the back wall that is. Turned out that Fiona had reproduced the back wall of the gallery along with ....um... what was on its back, as it were. So a blank wall to start with and then behind it a brick wall with what looked like braces for shelves and a poster for cheese. Next stop was to find the source wall so we left the gallery and went round the block and into the covered Essex Street market. There, right at the back, was Formaggio Kitchen and, sure enough, the back wall matched Fiona’s, including the poster. Now that’s true spatial sleight of hand.

Images: top to bottom, Fiona Connor work front, other side, round the back and bird’s-eye