Chapman Brothers, Jake & Dinos, have brought to Galerie Rudolfinum their very specific and dark humor reflected in a showcase of depictions in a variety of media. The Prague´s exhibition is the biggest collection from Chapman Brothers ever shown in Central Europe where 5 thematic rooms introduce to the audience: sculptures, drawings, etchings, paintings and other objects which highlight the political, social, religious and moral situation of the time we live in.
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| Chapman Family Collection Ricardo Praga - United Photo Press |
These are the Woodcarvings– African Fetishes. Several Bronze Sculptures resembling a collection of African art in which we find corporate elements of Fast food restaurant chains. Generally the audience might mislead reading the work thinking it is about globalization but according to the Chapman’s, the work might actually be about giving McDonalds the proper value they deserve. Everything is created in order that the viewer is not really sure what the artwork is actually about, he can only assume allowing him to create different interpretations. The Brothers have made the effort to not make a definite position to what the viewer can assume, his interpretation however might be exactly the contrary of what was meant.
Once you get into the second room, you will have the chance to see Francisco Goya´s “Disasters of War”. However this is an enhanced version re-worked by the Chapman Brothers. The collection of 83 etchings changed by JDC (Jake & Dinos Chapman) received a lot of worldwide attention due to their artistic values which seem to confront ethic values. For many, their actions were considered as only destruction and desecration of Goya´s artwork but by doing such acts seems that JDC intended to point to moral values by using a certain savage behavior to raise awareness of so many similar situations of today’s culture.
“Sex and Death” is other piece from JDC shown in the same room as Francisco Goya´s work. This piece of art can very easily make the audience confused since what very likely would be interpreted as the work “"Sex"” is in fact the work “"Death"” and what visually resembles a sex scene happening in the middle of the room is the work with name “"Death"”. That’s something that could be expected from JDC. When looking at their art nothing is what it seems. There is a continuous game about what initially the audience might think it sees and what really is.
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| Sex and Death / Ricardo Praga - United Photo Press |
This might be a frightening part of the tour but once you realize that what you see is not really what you thought it was then you will unexpectedly let out a short laugh.
The following area takes us to the "“minderwertigkinder"” (Wolf Child) together with paintings and prints from the collection "“Etchasketchathon”". In this section you will find several children dressing what seems to be school uniforms with an insignia showing a swastika and the statement "“They teach us nothing"”. The children appear to be appreciating some art paintings while at the same time passing through a metamorphosis process between human and animal, recalling a very famous scene of the classic horror movie from 1984 - "The Company of Wolves". Here, clearly, we can find the evidence that old horror movies had influence within the creation process of JDC artwork.
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| Fucking Dinosaurus and Flock Off Ricardo Praga - United Photo Press |
"The shape of things to come”" is the last work presented at the room. This is a very complex and detailed piece of art portraiting a certain moment within a battle. This work truly passes the image that war is the real hell. Here hundreds of miniature soldiers, skeletons and mutants are fighting while vultures attack randomly any kind of moving creature. Still, there is much more than that. Here, there is space for every kind of atrocity and all of them seem to be happening at that small place within that specific moment in time. Due to its complexity and dimension, this work might require some time till you get acquainted with all that is happening in front of your eyes, but that isn´t really a problem since it’s a delightful way to give a proper end to the exhibition.
According to Chapmans statements, their intention is definitely not to shock. From their perspective, if the audience feels that way, they consider these people to really have a hard time on a daily basis. For example, TV and newspapers are constantly delivering shocking content but since it's considered useful, that content is allowed. The effects of their work are not much more than that, only that they deliver their content with an artistic and theatrical form. Above all, they consider their work funny.
Although JDC brothers have always used their dark and ironic humor to create worlds which have caused brutal, intense and disturbing actions of the audience, they always remind us that the real horrors are actually happening elsewhere.
Since the exhibition entitled *“Blind Leading the Blind"* is by far the largest venue of JDC work in central Europe, this allows the audience to create a deeper conceptual view over the Chapman´s overall work based on the wide range of artworks available within a large space and by the relation that exist between each piece towards the gallery area and towards each other.
Recent works being presented with older ones resulted in an opportunity for generating different interpretations. Due to that, the Galerie Rudolfinum took the chance to document such unique moment in time by creating a catalogue, since each installation, independently from the size, build different views and perspectives about JDC artwork.
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| The shape of things to come / Ricardo Praga - United Photo Press |
Text, video and photography by Ricardo Praga: www.ricardopraga.com
Proofreaders: Cláudio Silva, Monika Ušiaková
