Rodney Graham

Casino Royale (Sculpture de Voyage) is composed of a paperback copy of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel Casino Royale (Coronet Books, 1988), first published in 1953, a large framed poster with a photograph of a hotel room, a white cardboard storage box inscribed with the words “SCULPTURE DE VOYAGE”, and a colored Plexiglas and chromium plated steel mural display case. The latter presents Fleming’s book lying open, between two sheets of red Perspex, on page 120-121. If placed on a wall above head height, the pages can be deciphered from underneath, allowing the reader to discover a brutal scene in which famous villain, Le Chiffre, tortures James Bond. The artist has reproduced the display case on the poster by directly drawing on it, as a kitsch suggestion of presentation. The cardboard box that comes with the work ironically indicates that Graham’s “Travel Sculpture” (Sculpture de Voyage) can be transported. This subtitle is a direct reference to Marcel Duchamp’s iconic Sculpture de Voyage (1918).