Sprüth Magers is showing British artist duo Gilbert & George’s exhibition, “THE PARADISICAL PICTURES” through August 25.
On view are 25 large-scale pictures of Gilbert & George wandering through paradisiacal natural worlds filled with mostly expressionistically-hued fruits, flowers, leaves, and trees. Each one is a cosmos in itself; together they form a spectacular vision of paradise that is at once lush and fantastic, with hallucinatory and psychedelic elements. The common motif in all these pictures is blossoming in nature—a joyful event further emphasized by the bright colors. A closer look reveals that the flowers have faded with dried leaves and fruits. The duo allude to the process of aging and themes of exhaustion and fatigue in this series of work.