The Chapman Brothers work is always surrounded by controversy and their latest exhibition ‘Jake or Dinos Chapman’ is of no exception. Usually they work to produce artwork together but for the past year they have been working separately; until the exhibitions were curated at the White Cube neither of them had seen what the other had done. Bringing together their individual work to showcase the differences between them, yet they continue to use recurring themes throughout their art. Focusing on entertaining each other with their work, Dinos stated that “Jake and I only make things that amuse us… So I make things for Jake and he makes things for me.” The public is kept in the dark as to who has done which exhibition, hence the title given.
Having visited the Mason’s Yard exhibition, it is clear that the installation ridicules the Nazi’s exhibition ‘Degenerate Art’ in Munich, 1937, that itself mocked modern art. The Nazi’s despised any modern art that wasn’t pure, putting labels next to the pieces scorning the art; something which the brother has taken and used in his own exhibition. Small cardboard models represent modern art and are haphazardly labelled with small white stickers. In another room there are much larger models with the soldiers surrounding and laughing at the structures. However, the Nazi’s are represented by black mannequins with the skin stripped back revealing muscles, bones and bulging eyes, they are in full uniform but with a smiley face in place of the Swastika, making a full mockery of them. The effect is very powerful and quite grotesque, as much of their work often is. Many critics state that these exhibitions are nothing new, the shock factor has gone. However, the more an artist works on an idea the more refined it becomes and, even if it is a stepping stone to their next chapter, it is still well worth a visit.
The exhibition is open until 17th September 2011, for further details visit: http://www.whitecube.com/exhibitions/jdc-2011/
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