Gilbert & George: The Beard Pictures and Their Fuckosophy

Strange exhibition at White Cube, Bermondsey, of new work by Gilbert and George.

The first thing you saw as you came in was the long white corridor and the square room at the side which were just full of short phrases including the expletive that you can guess from the title! According to the commentary it “interrogates the nature of a primal word” but I had a horribly urge use the condescending phrase “It’s not smart and it’s not clever”. Some of them did make me laugh though!

The other rooms were devoted to a series of pictures using Gilbert & George’s usual idea of including themselves in the work, in this case with surreal, symbolic beards and shadowed eyes. The commentary described them as “violent, eerie, grotesque, lurid and crazed” and I think I’d agree! There were interesting ideas and images in the pictures but I do wonder if there is a market for 99 of them and who might buy the huge versions at the centre of the show particularly as they were four on a theme so they should stay together.

Closed on 28 January 2018

 

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