HANNOVER, GERMANY.- The kestnergesellschaft presents displays the new series Twenty London East One Pictures (2003) by Gilbert & George. EAST ONE (E1) is the postcode of London’s East End, a district stamped as poor and multicultural. Gilbert & George have been living here for more than thirty years, a long time before this district recently advanced to the center of London’s art scene. The displays of the streets and squares of this neighbourhood dominate the large formatted works of their new series in black, white and red.

Since the start of their artistic cooperation in the late sixties Gilbert & George consider themselves as „living sculptures“. In Twenty London East One Pictures they appear as over dimensional dandies in city suites, like sculptures, honest and untouchable but also in twisted, crazy poses. For the first time Gilbert & George use techniques of digital picture editing. By using this new approach the principle of metamorphosis gains a new meaning in their works: Outlines become blurry, seem to dissolve, transform the bodies of the “living sculptures” in ghostlike shadows.

The exhibition in the kestnergesellschaft puts the entire series of 20 large scaled works in four halls on display. Seven of these works were already shown in Paris at the Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac (June 12 until July 24, 2004). And in December the Musée d’Art Moderne de Saint Etienne Metropole opened the exhibition of Twenty London East One Pictures (December 17, 2004 until march 20, 2005). Gilbert & George have been selected to represent Britain at the 51st Venice Biennale, 2005, and in 2007 Tate Modern will show an extensive retrospective of their work.

A catalogue (german/english/french) is published by the kestnergesellschaft, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Saint-Etienne Metropole and the Gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris. With texts from Loránd Hegyi, Anne Prenzler and Eric Troncy.