NEW YORK, NY.- Public Art Fund presents Peter Fischli David Weiss: How to Work Better, the first presentation in the United States of the artists’ iconic wall mural How to Work Better (1991) in Lower Manhattan. Coinciding with the Guggenheim’s retrospective exhibition of the same name, How to Work Better (1991) is a six-story painted mural of an enlarged motivational ten-point list for the workplace that the artists found on a bulletin board in a factory in Thailand. The simple direct statements — “Distinguish sense from nonsense”, “Accept change as inevitable”, “Learn to Listen”, “Smile”— propose a code of conduct that extends well beyond the office. Painted at a large scale against the backdrop of New York City’s NoHo neighborhood, this tongue-in-cheek manifesto suggests that “working better” is as much about an approach to everyday life as it is about productivity. Public Art Fund’s presentation of Peter Fischli David Weiss: How to Work Better is on view February 5 – May 1, 2016 at Houston and Mott Streets.

How to Work Better (1991) was originally painted on an office building in Zurich; 25 years later, Public Art Fund mounts the only other presentation of the mural, bringing the iconic work to a new audience in New York City for the first time. At roughly 50 feet tall and 20 feet wide, it will be hand painted on the south face of a building on Houston Street at the corner of Mott Street. This simple analogue presentation is intentionally sited nearby a landscape of billboards and painted advertisements. In contrast to this commercial backdrop, How to Work Better (1991) stands out with its goal to sell nothing beyond a simple code of conduct.

“How to Work Better points to an ethos that has deeply informed the artists’ collaborative practice and their approach to making work. Over the years, the piece has become an analogue meme, with small copies taped to the walls of countless studios and desks, advocating a practice of thoughtfulness and caring in the way art is made and presented,” said Andria Hickey, Public Art Fund Curator. “On Houston Street, the piece is quite literally tacked to the wall of New York City, asking us to consider how we can all work better in our own lives—our work, commutes, personal interactions—and reminding us that it’s not always what we do, but how we choose to do it that matters.”

In addition to the mural and museum retrospective, Times Square Arts and Times Square Advertising Coalition will show Büsi (Kitty) (2001) every night at 11:57 pm on the electronic billboards of Times Square throughout the month of February 2016 as part of the Midnight Moment program; the artists’ video of a cat drinking milk was first shown in Times Square in 2001.

Since 1979, Swiss artist duo Peter Fischli and David Weiss have created singular works that focus as much on artistic practice as on artistic output. Known for their do-it-yourself spirit, Fischli and Weiss juxtapose daily experiences and universal ponderings, while utilizing a wide range of materials and media, including photography and video, polyurethane, found objects, unfired clay, and even deli meat. Regularly ignoring traditional distinctions between high and low art, the pair have created an extraordinary oeuvre that combines a jocular sensibility with a sincere curiosity to make art that reflects the wonder of human nature and the world we live in.

This exhibition is curated by Public Art Fund Curator Andria Hickey.