Published on the occasion of Gilbert & George's exhibition 'NEW NORMAL PICTURES' which was on view at Lehmann Maupin New York, September 9 – November 6, 2021.
Details: Paperback, 61 pages, 12 x 9.75 inches.
With an essay by writer and novelist Michael Bracewell and full colour plates of all 28 works in the exhibition.
This new series fully embodies the tenor of contemporary life, best described through the old punk adage “the day the world turned Day-Glo,” with works rendered in an acidic color palette and with almost post-apocalyptic flare. Begun before the onset of the global pandemic and crystallized during the Covid-19 lockdowns in England, NEW NORMAL PICTURES reflects the reality of the world we live in today, from the endless refuse and litter of post-industrial life to the moments of sublime human connection and humor that can be found in even the darkest of times.
About the Artist: Gilbert & George (b. 1943, San Martin de Tor, Italy & 1942, Plymouth, United Kingdom) met in 1967 in art school at Saint Martin’s, where they first developed their signature form of “living sculptures” by walking around the streets of London with their heads and hands coated with multi-color metallic powders. Since then, they have lived and worked together, their individual identities subsumed into a vision of animate sculpture, becoming representations of the universal human condition, which is a central theme in their work. Their embrace of video technology, along with their well-known photo-collage works, allowed Gilbert & George to extend their living sculptures beyond a particular time and place and broadcast their art to wider audiences, establishing their motto of “art for all.”
