Pollyanna (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times), 2007/2008/2012/2017.
In WHY PICTURES NOW. Installation view, 2017. Museum of Modern Art, New York.
© 2017 Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo: Martin Seck.
In 2011, Louise Lawler began "adjusting to fit"—that is, changing the aspect ratio of her photos to fit the dimensions of the walls on which they are installed. When the adjusted works are vinyl wall murals, they can be any scale but must be centered on the wall. For mounted works, the image is produced to fit the ratio of the wall of its first presentation. In print, the image is adjusted to fit the constraints of its reproduction.
In 2017, she began applying digital filters to distort selected images. The titles acknowledge these processes by adding
"(adjusted to fit)" or "(distorted for the times)" to the original title. The following pictures have been adjusted to fit the space allotted for this viewing room.
Pollyanna (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times), 2007/2008/2012/2017
Andy in L.A. (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times, three), 2004/2016/2019
Egg and Gun (distorted for the times, dire), 2008/2017 (adjusted to fit)
Formica (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times, slippery slope 4), 2011/2012/2015/2018
(Bunny) Sculpture and Painting (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times), 1999/2015/2019
Andy in L.A. (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times, two), 2004/2016/2019
That Looks Nice (distorted for the times), 2015/2016/2018 (adjusted to fit)
Soup and Mirror (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times, one), 2001/2005/2017
Andy in L.A. (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times, four), 2004/2016/2019
Egg and Gun (distorted for the times, speechless), 2008/2018 (adjusted to fit)
Formica (adjusted for the wall, Metro Pictures, FIAC, distorted for the times, slippery slope 1), 2011/2012/2015/2017
Corner (distorted for the times, perturbée), 2014/2018 (adjusted to fit)
Still Life (Candle) (adjusted to fit, distorted for the times), 2003/2016/2018
