The Hayward Gallery’s 21st Century Pictures, a twenty-five year tribute to Gilbert & George, features sixty works, many of them extremely large, in a non-linear exploration of their works so far this century.
Gilbert & George, two people but one artist as they like to say of themselves, present their usual large-scale explorations of the world as they see it through their long-time East London studio base. There is a warm familiarity to these works, some might say a predictability depending on one’s attitude towards their work in general.
The format of their output never really changes: bright, bright colours against monochrome backgrounds, word against image; Money, Sex, Race, Religion, blended with the detritus of urban life, newspaper-headline posters, graffiti, discarded nitrous oxide canisters, the rubbish found in the streets, leaves, twigs, and of course, bodily fluids (the artist’s own). All familiar territory presented in tidy black grids which give the pieces an almost religious, stained-glass effect.
With Gilbert & George, these ever present elements become the means by which they convey their feelings about the world and challenge societal norms in their own particular way. G&G are ever present within the works their almost vaudevillian, matching suited, double act offers a potent and colourful presence providing a centre to all the works. Arguably, these works would have little impact without their somewhat benign presence staring out from these massive works.
“Art For All” is what Gilbert & George proclaim as their motivation. They resist the elitism of the art world and choose instead to make works that they hope will appeal to the everyday person.
While they do not address things like Gaza or Ukraine, it might be a surprise to see their Antifa-inspired series that includes “Our grandparents didn’t vote for fascists … They shot them!” These two artists have a particular take on the world, and they have not departed from it since they began their creative life together. They see what they see, and present it to the viewer, and what they see is all of human life, viewed from their corner of the world.
21st Century Pictures, Gilbert & George Hayward Gallery 12 October, 2025-11 January, 2026
Images courtesy of Hayward Gallery and the artists.
Gilbert & George, 21st Century Pictures
Barry Taylor writes and speaks about the intersections of philosophy, theology and contemporary culture. In past, he was the road manager for AC/DC during the Bon Scott era before becoming a Los Angeles theologian.
