Daily Archives: April 23, 2015

Gilbert & George

Gilbert & George

used without permission

“We are unhealthy, middle-aged, dirty-minded, depressed, cynical, empty, tired-brained, seedy, rotten, dreaming, badly behaved, ill-mannered, arrogant, intellectual, self-pitying, honest, successful, hard-working, thoughtful, artistic, religious, fascistic, blood-thirsty, teasing, destructive, ambitious, colorful, damned, stubborn, perverted and good. We are artists.” — Gilbert & George, 1981 (Milestone Films)

British sculptors. Gilbert Proesch (b Dolomites, Italy, 17 Sept 1943) and George Passmore (b Plymouth, Devon, 8 Jan 1942) met in 1967 as students at St Martin’s School of Art in London. By 1969 they were reacting against approaches to sculpture then dominant at St Martin’s, which they regarded as elitist and poor at communicating outside an art context. Their strategy was to make themselves into sculpture, so sacrificing their separate identities to art and turning the notion of creativity on its head. To that end Gilbert and George became interchangeable cyphers and their surnames were dispensed with.
Although working in a variety of media, Gilbert and George referred to all their work as sculpture. (Oxford University Press)

Gilbert & George On Religion, Art, and Politics | WSJ

Gilbert & George – Gordon’s Makes Us Drunk (plus other videos)

The Secret Files of Gilbert & George / Hans Ulrich Obrist from issole on Vimeo.

Gilbert & George in conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist from Serpentine Galleries on Vimeo.

Comment: Art forms are healthiest when a Charles Mingus, Isadora Duncan, or Gilbert and George come along.

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