Friday, July 22, 2011

HELL



All photos:
Jake or Dinos Chapman
White Cube Mason's Yard and Hoxton Square
London
15 July - 17 September 2011
© the artists
Photo: Ben Westoby
Courtesy White Cube

JAKE or DINOS CHAPMAN
White Cube
Mason Yard
Hoxton Square

It took me a while to write this post about the Jake or Dinos Chapman opening, since I only had a chance to go to the one in Mason Yard and had to follow up with the Hoxton Square a few days later.
(No, I did not see Kate Moss's butt spanking of another model:). I did get to experience the devilish power of the Chapman brothers. A power couple in the British Art World, known for their talent to provoke. This Art is certainly is not made to please or with any touch of beautification.... (that is for poodles).

For this exhibition the brothers stayed apart for a year in separate studios for so to bring it all together in this exhibit. After how I understand there is a mix of both of them in both places and you are not supposed to single them out for who has done what. But... the rumors has it that Dino the elder, is the one who is doing the elaborate drawings and human (religious) sculptures, while Jake is the one having done the paper and wood sculptures. Correct me if I am wrong.

Walking through the paper sculptures on the ground floor at Mason Yard I felt, well, this is quite tame....


With titles like:

"Beauty is for poodles"
"The grim reapers reaper"
"Inside the clowns pocket"
"Premature"
"The night descending like an embalmers shroud"
"Livid as the meat and dense as the slab itself"
"9/11 1/2"
"Postpartum howl"



Until one descended to the hellish basement, where the ghostly nazi figures where taking over the room even though it was filled with spectators. 



The drawings reminded me impressively of drawings by Goya, morbid and with a dash of gallows humor. 


A black Ku Klux Klan with an erection watching destruction...


At the Hoxton Square you also started out feeling slightly calm, before you met with these children with an attitude who studies at the Nazi school where they learn nothing... 


The kids noses are changed out with animal noses to the effect of horridness.


On the second floor at Hoxton Square are the "molested" religious totems. You can't see it on these pictures, you will have to get a closer look. But their faces are ripped out and has eyes sticking out, quite sickening. Also probably the reason for all the extra security that is guarding the gallery.



Why I ask? Why do someone feel the need to make such devastating Art? Does it have a point beyond the shocking factor? The worst is, it is actually really well done. 
When I now leave this page, I know it's weekend soon and that my world is a better world and I can breathe out and feel good. Maybe that is the point? For most of us that has a chance to see their art, the world is quite good, we just need to be reminded of the Hell that lurks behind, and appreciate the now.

With Weekend Love
Kristin

Saying goodbye to Lucian Freud with an earlier post!

JUST when I thought I was leaving HELL, OSLO is hit by terrorism!


16 comments:

  1. Crazy titles!

    Hope you have a fabulous weekend, darling!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  2. a very special and different exhibition. would love to visit it!
    have a lovely weekend : )

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  3. Hello Kristin:
    What a very disturbing exhibition which, as you point out, goes from the innocuous at the start to the very sinister, Nazi type figures later on. It is, of course, as you found here, sometimes quite difficult to recognise immediately the point, or message even, of some contemporary art but, as most likely in this case, it continues to linger in the mind long after one has left.

    Increasingly, in a world which is so very violent, it becomes more and more difficult to confront true horror which, from your description, is present in much of this work.

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  4. Great post thanks for sharing it was an interesting read what an unusual exhibition not sure if I would like to visit or not really but interesting to read about

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  5. I liked your post but exhibitions like that are not for me.

    Horrible news from Oslo!

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  6. what a powerful exhibition. looks amazing!

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  7. 9/11 1/2 is pretty good, i have to admit.

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  8. A very very interesting exhibition !
    And so for your post !
    La mise en scène des figures nazis, cette terreur qui regarde, c' est aussi le pendant du cynisme et de l' ironie sur l' art affiché. Avons-nous pour certains d' entre nous le même regard que les nazis sur l' art contemporain ?
    Haven' t we have the same look about modern art as the nazi police ?
    Il s' agit ici d' une forme théâtralisée, accentuée, un peu excessive. Situation grinçante entre cette opposition de style entre les effigies figées des nazis et la mise somme toute très classique sinon habituelle des sculptures modernes sur leur socle blanc.
    Le résultat ici, est encore une émotion très forte, symptomatique du travail des frères Chapman.
    C' est réussi jusque dans la caricature des scènes très peu réalistes.
    Merci pour cette news Katrin !

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  9. It's amazing how easily the Nazis were able to sneak into people's brains. They were beyond cunning.

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  10. This is disturbing art and, more horrendous, it sort of links with the Norwegian atrocity this Friday. These thoughts and concepts are a part of the lives of some, which is sad, terrifying and shocking.

    It must have been wonderful to step outside, away from this exhibition.

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  11. I just can't believe I wrote this blog and then thinking I could consentrate on my better world... When minutes later my home country is being hit by such devastation. So sad, so sad!

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  12. I have a friend who lives in Norway and he was posting videos. So sad about what happened =-( Hurts my heart.

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  13. everything you say here is so perfect, especially about why create such devastating art? and then with the arrival of oslo... it's so much more than haunting and a huge punch to the gut.

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  14. I have to admit that I'd probably pass on this one. I read the papers and watch the news and currently feel very disturbed and actually quite upset by what's happening in the world. To be honest, I want to escape. I want to surround myself with things that will take me away from all this horrid reality... It doesn't make me very heroic, but that's what I need to be able to function and carry on. This isn't for me right now, even if it looks interesting. I'm still glad you've shared it though :-) xo

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  15. So true! I would have not been able to write this blog about HELL after what happened in my home country...

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