2006

Nice Rack

American, born 1966

Rachel Harrison's witty and inventive mixed-media assemblage juxtaposes an array of unremarkable objects: fake pearls, an obsolete telephone, a shovel, and a greeting card stand, anchoring all of these elements with a framed photograph of Ronald Reagan. The photograph, originally part of a work by conceptual artist Hans Haacke, is here presented as an icon by capitalizing on its associations within recent American history. In this feminist literalization of the slang phrase "nice rack," Harrison examines the scrambling of cultural hierarchies in today's visual culture, incorporating Reaganism, Hallmark, and the ideas of artists Marcel Duchamp—recalling his Bottlerack (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1998-4-23)—and Paul Cézanne—alluding to his still-life compositions.