tue 23/04/2024

The Chapman Brothers: Children's Art Commission, Whitechapel Gallery | reviews, news & interviews

The Chapman Brothers: Children's Art Commission, Whitechapel Gallery

The Chapman Brothers: Children's Art Commission, Whitechapel Gallery

The Britartists' 'kiddie' art is is not that different to their 'adult' work

Grisly etchings for little folk that might scare the parents more than their children
When Jake and Dinos Chapman first came to the attention of a wider public at the Royal Academy’s Sensation exhibition, their work came with a parental warning: a sign barring under-18s. After all, naked child mannequins sporting surprised-looking anal apertures for mouths and erect penises for noses were not, until then, the Royal Academy’s usual fare.
When Jake and Dinos Chapman first came to the attention of a wider public at the Royal Academy’s Sensation exhibition, their work came with a parental warning: a sign barring under-18s. After all, naked child mannequins sporting surprised-looking anal apertures for mouths and erect penises for noses were not, until then, the Royal Academy’s usual fare.
As the Chapmans have said, little can surpass the grisly imaginings of children themselves.

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