Filmscreening: The World of Gilbert & George

Gilbert & George, The World of Gilbert & George, 1981.

“We wanted to put everything we could think of, everything we knew, everything we dreaded, everything we hoped, everything we loved, everything in.”
 

Gilbert & George meet at the Sint Martin’s School of Art in London. Ever since their studies, they have been working together as an artist duo. From the late 1960s onwards they define themselves as ‘Living Sculptures’ and elevate every aspect of their lives to art.

In 1981 they realised The World of Gilbert & George, a feature film directed by themselves in which they play the leading role. The film can be understood not only as an art documentary that provides insight into the lives of the artists, but also as a work of art in itself. Using words, still images and moving fragments, they create a unique self-portrait. In the ‘world’ of Gilbert & George, a modern urban landscape dominates, in which the local becomes universal. The film is set in the house in Fournier Street and in East End London, where they have lived and worked all their lives. Rooted in the social climate of the 1980s, Gilbert & George focus on several topics that also occupy a prominent place in the rest of their oeuvre: identity and sexuality, politics and religion. Therefore, The World of Gilbert & George is the perfect introduction to the exhibition Gilbert & George – Pink Elephants. Both the movie and the exhibition show the radical position that the artists took from the outset.
 

PRACTICAL DETAILS

Film screening

Sunday 17.12.2023, 3 P.M.
The World of Gilbert & George
1981, 69 min.
English, no subtitles

Admission to the film is free of charge, provided you purchase an entrance ticket.

After the film screening, you can join a free guided visit (90 min.) at 4:30 PM to the exhibitions Gilbert & George – Pink Elephants, Hanne Darboven – Welttheater and Sol LeWitt – Grids.

Location:
Herbert Foundation – Loods
Coupure Links 627A, 9000 Ghent