Luncheon in the Grotto, 2022

Luncheon in the Grotto is a 12x16 feet hand painted mural commissioned by Charli XCX.

Through a twirling and dreamlike forest and grotto landscape, we find intimate tableaus of friendly animals tucked away in the lush foliage, a girl swinging from one of the branches of an old oak tree, a bird nestled on top of her eggs, and a woman in Lotus position cheering on the party vibes of the scenario. We encounter a lot of Fisher’s favorite motifs drawn from her South-Florida upbringing, including vibrating leaves with a mysterious gaze, mermaids lounging atop palm fronds, and other magical creatures frolicing in nature.

Pirouetting down the trunk and roots of the giant oak are three dancers all wearing the iconic Tits T-shirts by Vivienne Westwood (1975). Fisher has based this section on a dance piece by Michael Clark wearing a tutu. It also pays tribute to Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2) from 1912.

Another historical reference is the role-reversed Luncheon on the Grass by Édourd Manet from 1862. In this version the women are fully dressed sitting next to a nude male. Female power is a prevalent theme in Fisher's work throughout her practice, as is revisiting and rewriting history from a woman’s perspective.

Dotted throughout the mural are Greek key patterns that move about and turn into checkerboard pathways. The Greek key patterns often surround narrative paintings in murals and vases. They were also prominent in many of Versace’s designs and in the mosaics, terrazzo and throw-pillows at his Miami Mansion, La Villa Casa Casuarina that Fisher has visited and studied many times. The checkered pathway swirls into a Grotto motif with a luring leg protruding from the bushes. As in antiquity these grottos were regarded as dwelling places of divinities.

The dancing theme pays homage to the many collaborations Fisher has realized with professional dancers and choreographers throughout her career, in performance, photo and video. The ballet leg is an ode to dancing all night in the glimmer of the discoball, hanging above the mural, shining light on many of the shimmering iridescent colors used to highlight the movements in the mural. It references  another mural Fisher created for Cafe Dancer, a since-closed bar in New York’s Lower East Side, operated by contemporary dancers between 2012 and 2015.

The mural is painted using black matte paint mixed with subtle interference pigments, which are invisible at most angles, but when the light hits right, shimmer like butterfly wings and raver's glitter. The theme and process is an open invitation to get lost in the moment in the night in the grotto.

Luncheon in the Grotto was completed in Spring 2022.