Chapman and Shawky Review

Was first inclined to the Chapman latest exhibition, which is FREE btw, when I saw a tweet from Boy George posing with a KKK. So I was off. 

Jake and Dinos Chapman: Come and See

Serpentine Sackler Gallery

Until Sun Feb 9 

Now I know their work, not in huge depth but yeah it's controversial. Political, about capitalism, corruption etc etc. This won't be a subjective review, the work itself generates heated discussion so lets save that for another day. Ganna go on to what I think of the exhibition itself. You first walk in, and first there is the first big glass box you covering everything going on behind it, I imagine for the faint hearted to prepare themselves for what they're about to see, and yeah was a pretty pointless thing to have there. Uniform with paint coming down, well I dunno it was like the studio of the Chapman's contained, but the fact a staff member would be stood right infront of it just defeated the point of it being displayed. 

What this box guarded was four monochrome SMILEY FACE flags, becomes a satirical badge that each KKK member spectating in the exhibition wears. And the costumes of these figures are jokes, they're in the correct uniform worn by the racist-pieces-of-crap-shat-out-of-the-devils-arse, but Chapman complete their look with hippie knitted rainbow socks and jesus slippers! Make of that what you will, we're just getting started.

So I already pointed out the entrance is a bit shit, but another big thumbs down is that this layout is bezerk. Like which way am I going!? When you enter you turn to the right an dyou see the blurb any ehibition would have, but then if you continue in that direction as you'd assume you would do, you end up at the end of their 'Come and See' section. It wasn't figured out well at all. So I began to the LEFT so when you walk in, go to the left. It made a bit more sense.

So along the wall heading towards the extra room which is actually the shop, don't go in there just yet, are fuck like 50 or more lil frames illustrations of gruesome Chapman ideas and then you are presented with 5 contraptions.
 Little Death Machine, 2006, onto I laughed in the face of adversity but it laughed back louder, 2008, followed by I want to be popular, 2008, next a Striptease, 2012 and finally I Felt Insecure (2012?).

I Felt Insecure, 2012 (?)

Closing in on this corner of machinery are portraits' such as One day you will no longer be loved (that it should come to this...) XIV 2013, a collection of disaesed-ridden and damaged people, looks like an acid attack done once to the person, once during painting, and a couple of more times to the whole thing. Try not to just look at how the sculptures and paintings are executed but on what it triggers. Especially the fact that a KKK member is joining you as an audience, seen to be intrigued in the machines. This first bit's layout is through the whole thing, they have done well in using this tight little space really cramming it all in.

The Axminster of Evil, 2008 © Jake and Dinos Chapman.
Photograph: Todd-White Art Photography/courtesy White Cube

Brilliantly hung on the whole quite randomly is this giant tapestry piece replicating the fun little games you'd get as you buy your happy meal as Maccy D. Walking in from the left of the exhibition, here's the beginning of this McDonald's method of business corrupting our lives as consumers, relating burgers with war. There's a bunch of canvas paintings, which sucked a bit, the famous miniature's Chapman crates with beautiful scenes of river of blood and hitler holding balloons in the middle of trees away from all the devastation happening behind him.

You see a lot in the middle of the exhibition, all quite sticking to the main theme but here's where the 'Come and See' idea comes into action. If you look up there are 3 bars of writing (and keep looking up through, there's all sorts displayed on the walls closer to the ceiling tying everything together). The first one reads all colourful COME AND SEE followed by GET RID OF MEANING. YOUR MIND IS A NIGHTMARE all in black, and ends with THAT HAS BEEN EATING YOU: NOW EAT YOUR MIND.

There is this quite stunning scene of the wall display interacting with the path as you walk in and around the pieces, a KKK member who has actually touched the work on the wall and has been stained with ink, triggering curiosity and breaking down that barrier of the drawn out dot-to-dot maps of McDonald games becoming a reality and effecting it.

You walk near the end and these massive miniature's creatign a scene of horrors with McDonald's iconic figures participating, people mutated and joined together, limbs taken apart to form new figures, skeletons fighting with humans, a number of fucked up orgies. This one below in particular with a man with painfully hairy legs, like the hairs themselves have been individually stuck back into the skin, these legs of the modern man wearing bright trainers, puts us into the scene itself, whilst a KKK member looks either in horror or intrigue. These glass-contained pieces are so packed it screams of suffocation, contrary to the clear empty space its presented it. We are outside, imagine being inside, the smells and layers and layers of sound, even people as horrid as the KKK are outside of this world. 

Now in the middle of this Serpentine Sackler space are two seperate galleries, still Chapman's coming and seeing show, first go in this barn house looking one, cardboard sculptures displayed, models and little ideas, I imagine the Chapman duo threw these in, the kind of working out of the outside plans, what the McD members did in the workroom and how the KKK like to spend their time bumming each other as they watch. 

Now what I quite love about this exhibition is in one of the two tunnels in the middle is one of them is playing some audio thing that screams through the whole space. Whilst I was looking around other than listening to parents talk about the pieces with their kids, was screaming, heavy screamo metal music and such. I ended the exhibition with this room and I recommend you do to, it's a great finale but also it doesn't relate with the work outside so I think if you're going in and out of the two basically different exhibitions you're ganna throw yourself off.

Here is a clip of it, with a couple of actors you may recognize, one failing artist wannabe played by the bad werewolf in Harry Potter. It's a beautifully screening which members of the KKK are involved in too! I had one pointing to the screen over my shoulder whilst I watched. The Kino Klub holds this special screening and what's quite brilliant is that watching it from when I came in, the whole thing and then returning to where I came in (did that make sense???). Well what I am trying to articulate is that whatever point you come in, the Fucking Hell film makes sense, which is so crucial with exhibitions like this! I hate when you enter a film and you begin like in the middle and the end or the whole thin just makes no sense. This film is well done and so fucked and comical, I imagine Dali would of been front row. 

So my verdict, for a free exhibition, was very good. Great introduction if like me you have come face to face with Jake and Dinos Chapman's work before. I have a feeling they really love watching the Supersize Me Documentary as do I. Next time, more sense of direction please.

Wael Shawky: al-Qurban

Serpentine Gallery

Until Sun Feb 9

Photograph: © Hugo Glendinning

No unfortunately because of the Chapman show, not many people noticed there was another exhibition happening in the Serpentine Gallery across the river. Including me, awks shit.

It is very small, and it was dark so I could be there for long to watch 3 of the VERY LONG films showcased. Like for a, yet again FREE, exhibition, they were quite long. You would need to know in advance they were doing screenings then plan your time accordingly to watch each one from the beginning if you catch it from the soandso:00 hours. Only criticism. Otherwise WOW.

                            

First you notice how much darker this space is compared to other shows, Chapman being so bright bleached walls and then there's this space. Obviously to aid the beautiful lighting need, you enter this navy/blue space and see this grand glass box showing off marionettes, so bright it's a display of craft. 

Straight away you wanna drive into it but I resist and go to the blurb (you notice I go to read the walls a lot. Do this. Know what the fuck you're looking at and contextualise yourself). Each thing written throughout this exhibition's walls is then repeated next to it in arabic. Can't remember the reason but that reminder of another culture is effective, I remember being impressed.

You get a full 360 degree point of view with its presentation, these were the performers used in two of the films shown in this exhibition, some of the 110 marionettes made. Designed looking mutated, off like is it human or what? It communicates how this "community lives so closely with  succession of animals (camels, mules and donkeys) that thy begin to acquire the same features". GENIUS. Kinda like was Orwell was talkign about with Animal Farm. Costumes are great, the balance of animal and human, some look like they're morphing right before you eyes. Just I could go on. But I won't. See it.

Asphalt Flags, 2010

\Now on the marionette's left is this corner displaying separate work, flags held together with wires. I didn't quite get them as the lead into the first film, I don't know why, but there you have it, it's free. The film is Cabaret Crusades: The Horror Show File, 2010. 31mins 49 sec. Yeah, plan your time ahead like I said. This film uses the marionette dolls where both Muslim and Christian leaders are depicted as violent shitbags, with the mosque aflamed and the priest dead. Wish I could see the whole thing.

Then I suggest to run to the other side of the exhibition, on the right of the glass box. Trust me on this.

There is another little corner of framed work which accompany the next film The Path to Cairo, 2013. They are colorful depictions of fantastical creatures which Shaky says he tries to "make my drawings dense with the idea of certainty. In the end, they are spontaneous, mixed with a degree of surrealism." I wasn't impressed. But I think a lot of people would enjoy them. 

Then you turn in on the 'Path' film thing, and it is a depiction of 50 years between the 1st and 2nd Crusade (1099- 1149), following on from the film on the left of the exhibition 'Horror Show File' one. See why I made you go from left to right, ignoring the middle film?? You're welcome. Script is both sung and spoken with improvisation and composition. It is grand, again wish I could watch it in its entire but I didn't have time for 60 minutes and 57 seconds! But hey it's free, plan your time ahead of this one.

NOW you're welcomed to go into the middle screening, which is behind the glass box of dolls as you walk in. Either see it first of last, not in the middle of it all or else you're disjointed. This film is a WORLDWIDE PREMIERE and it's free mwhaha. Serpentine Gallery the lucky dogs are showcasing Al Araba Al Madfuna II, 2013 which is cast made up of children, not quite show what happens, I walked in on the ending part and credits, someone dead got pulled out a river? Yeah by this time was home time but what I saw, great lighting and visually rich even in B&W. It is another long one that you'd want to see from beginning to end so. 

The Verdict is that you, and myself, should of been warned and planned ahead of this exhibition. You need enough time to spectate and watch the films in full to fully appreciate it but what I saw was good. Thank you Serpentine for introducing me to this artist. FUCK YOU for having shitty shops with no postcards for either shows. AAAND fuck you harder for having your fucking park clsoe most of its gates before the galleries close, so you're left wondering around in the damn dark trying to get out without climbing over a gate which spikes will destroyed my blessed area.