Dimensions
197 x 267 x 19mm
Jake and Dinos Chapman are among the most important figures to have emerged from the 'YBA' (Young British Artist) generation in the 1990s. Over the past decade they have built up an international reputation for work through which they have confronted some of the most troubling issues of our time. These have included the endless human capacity for warfare and violence; plastic surgery, genetic manipulation and cloning; the instability of moral and ideological belief systems; and the assumed asexuality and innocence of children.
The Chapmans' critical reception has often been overshadowed by sensationalism and the media's response to the artists' shock tactics and generous use of cheap horror effects. For the first time this book will present works from all phases of their career, including sculpture, installation, drawing, and prints, and engage a variety of critical voices to the art historical context of their work, as well as the themes and concerns that continue to underpin it. Tate Liverpool director Christoph Gruenberg's essay provides an overview of the artists' career while other authors examine themes including use of shock in contemporary art, the aesthetics of ugliness, carnival excess and foul language.
Key works including 'Great Deeds Against the Dead' (1994) and 'Disasters of War' (1995) and the works exhibited in the Turner Prize exhibition in 2003, 'Sex and Death', will be illustrated alongside newly created works and others never reproduced before. A new interview with the artists complete what will be the most extensive examination of the work for the Chapman brothers yet published.
