THE WORLD OF GILBERT AND GEORGE
Production: UK, 1981
Director: Gilbert & George
Category: Documentary/Art
The beautiful world of Gilbert and George has its epicentre in Spitalfield, London, and thence expands in concentric circles across the entire globe – even as far as China, where they are the most popular Western artists of all time. In this, their very own film, we see London through their eyes, with vivid imagery that moves between the startlingly magnificent and the outright absurd. Church spires and city streets, youths and drunks, dancing and tea drinking all take on an affecting symbolism when viewed from the unique perspective of Gilbert and George, stamping real life with the motifs of sex, religion, money and race that have marked their art since the late 1960s. Gilbert and George are best-known for their large scale photo-montages, frequently tinted in extremely bright colours, backlit, and overlaid with black grids so as to resemble stained glass windows. The artists themselves often feature in these works, along with potentially shocking imagery, including nudity, depictions of sexual acts, and bodily fluids including faeces, urine and semen. The titling of their series, such as “Naked Shit Pictures” (1995), has also contributed to media attention. In 1986 Gilbert and George attracted criticism for a series of works seemingly glamorizing “rough types” of London’s East End such as skinheads, while a picture of an Asian man bore the title “Paki”. They are among the few true originals of modern art.
Posted by Neuro-Toxx