Ovoid, 2020 (All Photos By Gail)

Often described as a hybrid between art, architecture, design and landscape architecture, Dan Graham’s freestanding partitions and pavilions — made from two-way mirror glass — sometimes create a kaleidoscopic, psychedelic experience. If you’ve never seen his work in person and missed his Hedge Two-Way Mirror Walk About, which was installed at the Met Roof Garden back in 2014, a new exhibit at 303 Gallery  entitled Three Models, Three Sizes, Three Price Ranges offers a fun introduction to the full scope of his oeuvre.

New-Baroque Walkway (2020)

Fun House / Swimming Pool (2020)

Treating the gallery as a kind of automobile showroom, this installation of three models allows the viewer to become both participant and spectator in perceiving the space physically and psychologically in relation to other spectators.

As Graham stated in a recent interview with Antoine Catala, “In my own work, walking around is important because not only do you see yourself seeing in the reflection, but you also see other people seeing each other as you see them.” On the day of my visit, I was actually alone in the gallery, so I played a game of trying not to be seen as a reflection in the glass. As you will notice, I was quite successful!

In addition to the models, there’s a video projection in a separate room of Graham’s design for the runway for Celine’s SS17 collection (2016) at Paris Fashion Week.

There’s also a large graphic with the story behind Two Way Mirror Hedge Follie (2005, above): a park design using a curved hedge and curved two-way mirror. This design was a renovation of a small city park in Culiacán, Mexico.

If you’ve been doing a lot of gallery hopping and need to take a rest, you can sit and watch a long form two-channel interview with Graham from the Louisiana Channel (Graham is native) entitled Dan Graham – Recreating Childhood Desires. I think it is always enlightening to hear the artist’s point of view on his or her creations. This a fun exhibit that you should not miss.

Dan Graham’s Three Models, Three Sizes, Three Price Ranges Will Be On Exhibit Through June 26th, 2021 at 303 Gallery, Located at 555 W. 21st Street in NYC’s Chelsea Gallery District.