Jake and Dinos Chapman's Disasters of War

Print Quarterly Publications Jake and Dinos Chapman's "Disasters of War" Author(s): Jennifer Ramkalawon Source: Print Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 1 (MARCH 2001), pp. 64-77 Published by: Print Quarterly Publications Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41825954 Accessed: 07-12-2015 16:15 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Print Quarterly Publications is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Print Quarterly. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Jake and Dinos Chapman's Disasters of War Jennifer Ramkalawon In September1999New York'sMayorRudi Giuliani muchofthis'restricted access'materialwas keptin a raisedobjectionsto thedisplayofworksfromCharles repository referred tointhedepartment as colloquially Saatchi'scollectionin the Sensation exhibitionat the the'porn'cupboard.5 Museumof Art.Threatening to withdraw The Chapmans'fibre-glass resinsculptures ofchilBrooklyn fromtheinstitution forexposingtherighteous drensprouting funding genitaliain unlikely placesare inextricitizensofNew Yorkto such'disgusting and offensive' cablyboundto sexualanalytical textsuchas Freud's. howwouldthemayorhavereactedto thefact Theyarealso akinto thedark,sexuallydisturbing doll work,1 that an institutiono less augustthan the British creationsof Hans Bellmerand to CindyShearman's Museumhad acquiredworksbyseveraloftheshow's photographs of herselfand the manipulation of her Indeed,themayormightbe rather ownbodywithmedicalprosthetic guilty perpetrators? parts.A nod is also tolearnthattheBritish Museumholdswork made in the directionof the naked mannequinsof surprised at least five of the in Sensation.CharlesRayandtheerotictableauofPaulMcCarthy's artists who exhibited by TraceyEmin,Rachel Whiteread,GaryHume, Sam comic-book figures. Wood and Damien Hirstwerejoined by the de la Guerra TaylorGoya's set of prints,Los Desastres theNapoleonicinvasionof Chapmanbrothers, Jake(b. 1966)and Dinos (b. 1962), (1810-20),whichchronicles whenthe Departmentof Printsand Drawingspur- Spainand thehorrors ofthe1811-12 famineinMadrid themostsavagedepiction ingraphicart chased,withthe aid of theNationalArtCollections isundoubtedly of prints,TheDisasters ofwar.Thisgroupofprints has Fund,theirportfolio of War.2 ofthebarbariccruelty TakingGoya as theirstarting point,the Chapmans alwayshelda specialplace in theChapmans'bodyof inno fewerthan28 days.3 work.For theirsuiteof printsthe Chapmansrelied produceda suiteof83 prints The intention ofthisarticleistoexploretheproduction heavilyon Goya,butalso infusedtheirworkwithlayof the portfolio withinthe contextof the Chapman ers of pornographic world surrealism, contemporary brothers' œuvre. conflicts, imageryof theNazi holocaustand general As with many artistsof their generation,the apocalyptic sci-fi, 'end-of-the-world' destruction. Chapmansfeedoffotherart.Theyplunderarthistory,RegardingGoya as the firstmodern artist,the appropriating imagesfromhighand low cultureand Chapmanswereintrigued by the crisishe faced.To themto suittheirown ends.They are themGoyais an artistconfronting a twofoldilemma, manipulating heirstoa longtradition ofthelibidinous inart.Indeed, howtodepictman'sinhumanity toman,andthedeepworks like Vivant Denon's PriapeanPrintsand erinternal within manhimself. struggle Theyviewhim MarcantonioRaimondi'sI Modř are held in the as of someonewho was Departmentof Printsand Drawings.Untilrecently A fabulousrepresentation Thisarticle could nothave beenwritten without theco-operation printed inkonblack onwhite chine three sets ofanedition collé; Booth-Clibborn. Bothave beengenthat from a child's bookwith the ofjake ChapmandCharles juxtaposes images colouring erous withtheir timeandI amindebted tothem forpatiently original andtwohand-coloured sets. edition; all myquestions withelegant andilluminating doesnothavea complete setofDenon's acknowledging 4. Thedepartment I would answers. alsoliketothank for hisinsightful L'Oeuvre butonly twoprints from theseries. Seealso Stephen Coppel priapique, comments after exhibition Muséedu Denon, Paris, reading mymanuscript. Dominique-Vivant catalogue, 20October Fora disLouvre, 2000, 199917January pp.93-94. i. New York Times cussion ofI Modi andother Renaissance erotic seeDavid ,29September 1999. prints, 2. Along with theMetropolitan Museum ofArt, theNewYork LandauandPeter TheRenaissance Print Parshall, (NewHaven Public andtheYaleCenter for British Art. andLondon Library 1994), pp.297-98 waspublished inanedition offifteen isnowbeing into thecollection. 3. Thesetofprints plusthree 5. Thismaterial integrated artists' sets. There arealsothree additional sets: oneset proof PRINT I XVIII, 2001, QUARTERLY, This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THECHAPMANS 65 out ofsomesortofreligiousanomaly. *, cuntsor arseholes, art butbecauseitis second-rate emerging drawnintoon theone handthelogic witha pretense[sic]to be somethingrander, Goyais totally prooftheEnlightenment and on theotherhandhaving foundand endurable.7 It is understandablethat the Chapmans' work allegiance [to] the very people who would be crushedbytheveryprinciples ofrationality. leavesa bad tastein themouth.It is coninvariably Our understanding of thatis a way forus to frontational, and deeplydisturbing, yetit provocative understand a similarstrategy or at leastinflict over begsa deeperanalysisand notsimply a knee-jerk reac- theconditions ourconditions thatwe tion.Theyare fondofmakinggrandioseartist's state/production in a kindofnon-political findourselves mentsthatare sometimes intendedto baffleor which space.6 Beforeexaminingthe suiteof prints,it is vitalto deliberately elide theirtrueintentions. For example, understand whattheChapmanbrothers meanbytheir theirfirst workofartwas a hugedeclamasignificant and how thiselucidatestheirwork.The tioninbrownletraset smearedarrogantly overa wallof strategies who have a worked as creative team the the since Hales where brothers, London, Gallery, theyboldlysetout intentions with theiranti-manifesto entitledWeareArtists, early1990s,oftenshroudtheirartistic 1992: an overloadof theoryalmostto the pointof being Weare sore-eyedscopophiliacoxymorons. Or, at bothdisgusted least,we aredisenfranchised undersiege aristocrats, impenetrable, leavingone criticfeeling andbemused: fromour feudalheritage.The graphicpromiseof I lookat theworkofJakeand Dinos Chapmanand our absentbutnevertheless honsonorousletraset, I feel deep embarrassment and utterboredom. oursthedead (andthebad conscience)ofpastgenEmbarrassed notbecauseitis sexorkidsor dicksor a recollection ofthediscordancebetween erations, 6. Allquotes arebyJakeChapman 7. Martin otherwise 'TheChapman WhenWillI be Brothers, (unless indicated) Maloney, aninterview from with theauthor, Flash Famous', Art, 24August 1999. January-February 1996, p.66. x 2,000mm(London, Disasters TateGallery). 96.JakeandDinosChapman, ofWar, 1993,mixedmedia,1,300 This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

66 THECHAPMANS x 2,440x 1,520 Great Deeds the mm(London, mixed mediawith Dead,1994, 97.JakeandDinosChapman, Against 2,770 plinth, TheSaatchiGallery). Our discourseoffers a beneconceptsand pictures. volentcontingency ofconcepts,a discourseofendof-saleremnants, a rationalistic hotbedof sober We have manufactured our products categories. accordingto themarketdemandsofa deconstructiveimperative, and policedthemaccordingto the rulesofan industrial dispute- ourbreadis buttered on bothsides.We have alwaysalreadybeen functionsof a discourse;in short,our subjectivity (our our labour) deservesprofessional interpretation, mentalagitation demandsa limitless expressionism, ourcontractual demonstrates ourservility teleology This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THECHAPMANS 67 to a culturalclimaxneverto be experienced. The vieweris alreadycoercedintothe game. This ludic future remainsexcluded.Butsometimes, in thebrothers' workthatitinhabagainstthe turnis so prevalent freedom ofwork,we phantasisemancipation from itsa private worldofsharedschoolboy jokes,word-play thisliberalpolityintoa superheavyweight no-holds- andpunning. It sometimes appearsinthetitlesoftheir barredall-inmud wrestling league,a scatological work,forexample,a black mannequinis giventhe aesthetics forthetiredofseeing. ironictitleToken Pole.11 Even Goya is not sparedthe suchas Zygotic acceleration whichlooksas if , biogenetic , de-sub- Chapmanwit.One oftheirsculptures Sculptures limated libidinal X 1000), 1995 (Saatchi itisgivingbirthtoitself model(enlarged witha headprotruding fromits Collection, London)consistofa troupeofnakedchild vaginais explainedthus: beforetheviewer. At It'spartofa serieswe envisaged a whileago.The 82 mannequins standing innocently first beautiful untilwitha joltone DisastersofYoga whichis a dyslexicdisruption of theyseembeguilingly seespenises,anusesand vaginassprouting fromsome theDisasters ofWarbyGoya.You takethewordGoya ofthechildren's heads.The vieweris immediately and changeit arounduntilit spellsyoga,and then put into the unlikelypositionof covertpervert.Freud youhavetheDisastersofyoGa.12 describes scopophilia(pleasureinlooking)as a perver- Buttherearemanylevelsto thegame.Forinstance, sionwhen forall theirappropriation ofGoya'sworks, whatexactto thegenitalsor b) ifit lyare theyappropriating? a) itis restricted exclusively Theyhaveneverphysically isconnected withtheoveriding of disgust (asinthecase consultedhis originalprints- theirinterpretation of voyeurs)or peoplewho look at excretory func- Goya,theirengagement withhim,is throughreprotions.8 ductionsofhiswork.This putstheviewerin an obviTo thisextentheChapmansmakeperverts ofus all ous dilemma.Aretheybeingmocking, ironicor even by showingus imageswhichbothattractand repel, cynical?One thingis certain,theyare passionately withinus thatoverwhelming desiretowitness committed toproducing theirart. recalling thesceneof an accident.The Chapmansgo further Earlyon in theircareerstheChapmansproduced and interpret Freud'stheory ofpolymorphous threeworksofsculpture literally direcdylinkedto Goya'ssuite in the ofprints.The first perversion young: work,entidedDisasters ofWar,1993 It is an instructive factthatundertheinfluence of (fig.96) is a set of 83 miniature modelfigureson a seductionchildrencan become polymorphouslyplinth,each depicting an episodefromtheseriesexeandcanbe ledintoallpossiblekindsofsex- cutedwithpainstaking perverse, accuracy,whichsucceedsin ual irregularities ... smallchildrenare essentially reducing the without shame,and at someperiodsoftheirearliest seethingemotionalpathosof Goya's nightmarish in exposing indictment satisfaction of theNapoleonicinvasionof Spain to yearsshowan unmistakable theirbodies,withespecialemphasison the sexual one ofcheap,ifgraphically disturbing hobbyshop parts.9 carnage.13 As David Falconerexplainsin hisessayin thecataIn 1994,thebrothers concentrated on Plate39,Great exhi- DeedsAgainst theDead!,one ofthemostchillingprints logueforthebrothers' apdynamedChapmanworld bition: fromtheseries.It depictsthreenakedmen.Two have Theirartattempts tobypassdisembodied notionsof been tiedto a tree.The other,mostgruesomefigure, aesthetic itis about inthatitspec- has been dismembered intothreeparts.His head is enjoyment: pleasure tacularises thepsychoanalytic text'sfixated attempts impaledon a branchbeside his headlesstorso.His to circumscribe it, as well as being a calculated arms,severedat the armpits,hang neadybesidehis itbe head.Allthemenhavebeencastrated. In theprintthe attempto arousea visceralresponse(whether as amusement or disgust).10 expressed bloodyareasaredeeplyetchedwiththinlinesofblack Even thoughtheyare sculptures, notchildren, the inkrepresenting the drippingblood thatpoursfrom 8. S. Freud, 'ThreeEssays ontheTheory ofSexuality' likeGogo, andToken Pole. (1905), námes Fuckface, Joey inThe Freud Reader London isdescribed as a 'mobius inversion' andisdis,edited reprinted byPeter Gay, 1995, 12.Thissculpture cussed inan'Interview with Robert Libel p.251. Rosenblum', (Six Unholy FeetUnder), NewYork, 11 9. Freud, op.cit., p.268. Gagosian 13SeptemberGallery, 10.D. Falconer, 'Doctorin' theRetards', , London, October Chapmanworld 1997, p.150. 'AScatological ICA,il May-illune Aesthetics fortheTiredofSeeing', iqq6,n.p. 13.D. Fogle, il. TheChapmans' exhibition SixFeet Under attheGagosian Chapmanworld , 1997, ,op.cit. NewYork, featured aninstallation ofsculptures with Gallery, This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

68 THECHAPMANS Double ofParagon Deathshead, 98. JakeandDinosChapman, 1997, screenprint, 735x 883mm(Photocourtesy Press). theirwounds.The Chapmansportrayed thisharrow- sameformat as Goya. has long been intriguedby the ing imagefirsdyin multipleminiaturemodel form, Booth-Clibborn entidedGreat DeedsAgainst theDead/,1994,and second- Chapman brothersand is an avid admirerof their - a life-size work.Whatstruckhimaboutit was notso muchits ironicreappropriation lyas an astonishing made of butchered butthebrothers' obviousand fibreglass sculpture up shop-man- sensationalist overtones, Deeds overlooked connections witharthistory. He seestheir nequinsin posesidenticalto Goya'sprint.Great theDead2, 1994(fig.97) cleverly returns 'to the workas a debateand a dialoguewitharthistory, and Against scale ofphysicality fromwhichit was originally intheChapmans' pro- wasalsokeenon therôleofdrawing duced'.14 œuvre : In 1998 the publisherCharles Booth-Clibborn I'd been interested in theirdrawings... It seemed offered theartists an opportunity to producea portfo- rightthattheygo back to something muchmore lio ofprints. The artists a reinterpretation of hands-onlike etchingand celebratesomething suggested whichwas completely Goya'sDisasters ofWar.Theywerealso keento use the partof theirwholecreative andDinosChapman, Victoria MiroGallery, 14.G.Worsdale, 'Jake Art October October', 14September-14 1994, Monthly, p.36. This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THECHAPMANS 69 itwas finished. Some platesgotto thepointwhere life- whichwas drawing- and etchingbringsout we were artists' drawings.15 usingthingslikedrillson them- messing ItwasBooth-Glibborn whofirst aroundwithwhatkindofmarkswe couldget. gavetheChapmans an opportunity to workwithprints.In 1997he pubThe speedand energyoftheprojectwas undoubtlishedtheScreen someof edlyinvigorated ofthebrothportfolio, gathering together bythecreativesparring inLondonat ers, revealingmuch about theircollaborative themostinnovative work youngartists working thattime.For Screen , theChapmansproducedDouble practice: Deathshead tocome. The waythatwe work,whether that'sin conversa(fig.98),a prescient imageofthings In practicaltermsBooth-Clibborn in for the tion or actual becomes arranged practice, quitefrenetic. artiststo workwiththe printersSimon Marsh and Our conversations on an idea fora workof artor a kindofonePeterKosowiczat Hope Sufferance Pressin South anygivenprojectalwaysgo through London. Having never reallyetched or produced filtering process- an egobattlebetween upmanship beforeon sucha scale,thebrothers werestimu- thetwoofus .... It'sveryorganized, butverydisorprints We arriveatdecilatedby the challengeand curiousto see wherethe at the same time. actually ganized wouldtakethem: sionsveryquicklybecausewe'reable to expelall of processofetching The fantastic theanxietiesthata singlepersonhas in theproducthingabout etchingis thatyou are in a blind some You initiate or tionoftheirownwork.Whenyouhavetwopeople ways. working process intoa processand thenat the . . . youhaveyourowncriticand youalso havethis youbecomeinitiated endofittheworkjustcan go anywhere. wholeotherbodythathas a wholesetofideasthat to youbutbecomepartof Using a varietyof techniques,etching,drypoint, are oftenveryannoying and the brothers the of aquatint soft-ground etching, proprocess sharpening up an idea. duced,remarkably, 83 printsin threeeditionsin fewer The imageryemployedbytheChapmansin these than 30 days. The rapidityand skillof the entire printseffortlessly minethisdarkseamofunimaginable into horrorand disgust, projectwas down to theircompleteimmersion throwing up a bodyofworkthat the entireprintmaking As andto forces the viewer to ask uncomfortable process. Jake Chapman questions explains: engage in the debate presentedby the artists.The The perceptionwas thatwe were goingthereto unremitting ofwarhas beenexploredcountbrutality somehowironizeprinting in someway.... I suppose less timesthroughout Westernart. Famousgraphic a lot of peoplehad thatkindof suspicionthatwe seriessuch as Callot'sLes Miseres etlesMalheurs de la wouldgo intotheprintroomandjust scribbleand Guerre seriesDerKrieg (1633),to Otto Dix's disturbing writefoulwords- 1 think we'remuchmoreinterest- (1924),encapsulatetheartist'sresponseto thesordid ed in thepleasureoftheeconomyoftheprocessin atrocities of thataccompanytheultimate degradation somewaysandyoucan'tdo muchelseinan etching human behaviour.What fascinatesthe brothersin room- you'vegota platein front ofyou,youeither respectofthissubject-matter is theinterpretation and resistitorgo withit. oftheunrepresentable. To themGoya's representation UnlikeGoya,theyproducedno preparatory As draw- workencapsulates thisdilemmafacedbytheartist. but drew onto the were artists are to ings, direcdy plates.They supthey willing explore theextentowhichthepracticalapplication ofmakpliedwith83 plates(oneperimage)andwouldrequest whichtechniquetheywantedor thought suitable: ing a workof artto enforcea certainprohibitive, Therewas a fullrecycling processgoingon,as they repressiveor ethicalpoint,i.e. thatmurderand werecutting and waxingplateswe wouldbe sitting death is bad necessarilydescendsinto the most inthecornerscratching excessiveformsof demonstration, mostexcessive away.It wasveryfluidand forms ofspectacleand relieves itself ofa certainkind verymixedup; therewould be plateswhereone oflibidinalpleasureand libidinaleconomyin order plate would perhapstake one processand that wouldbe it. It wouldbe finishedor one plate or to actuallycommunicate someformofdisgust. andfinished As Freudpointsout,waris taintedwithsexand sex plateswouldbe started byonepersonDinosand mewouldfinish a plateorwe wouldpass withfear: themover[or]putthemasidefora fewdaysand go The sexually effect ofmanyemotions which exciting backtothem.Wedidtryandcomplete in as conare themselves such as of plates unpleasurable, feelings as wecould.Wewouldworkon a plateuntil or horror, sistently apprehension, fright persistsin a great 1September with author, 15.Interview 1999. This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

70 THECHAPMANS Disasters British andaquatint, ofWar, 99.JakeandDinosChapman, 1999,etching 142x 224mm(London, Museum). numberofpeoplethroughout theiradultlife.There Nazis.Nazi imageryseepsthrough theportfolio. Piles is no doubtthatthisis the explanationof whyso of corpsesand bones recallthe firstshockingphoto seeksensations tographs ofthecampsaftertheAlliedliberation. There manypeopleseekan opportunity ofthiskind,subjectto theprovisothattheserious- are imagesofwatch-towers and barbedwire,and in nessof theunpleasantfeelingis dampeddownby oneprinta hugechimney billowsa cloudofsmokeskilin an fullyrenderedin aquatint- a chilling certainqualifying factssuchas itsoccurring reminder ofgas chambers and burningbodies. Swastikasfeature world,in a bookor in a play.16 imaginary BothAristotle and Freudupholdtheidea ofcathar- prominently, especiallyin two of the mostpowerful a of the sis,thatis,thereleaseofemotions through witnessing images portfolio,four chopped-offingers tragicscene.Withoutcatharsiswe repressemotions arrangedtoforma swastika lyingina poolofblood(fig. suchas fearandpity.Lookingat imagesoftorture does 99), and a directcopyof Plate 39, Great DeedsAgainst notmakeus sadists, someone'spain.Whatwe theDead!(fig.100),whichhas a huge swastikaetched enjoying areactuallyviewingis a pictureofa tortured person,a overthewholeimage.The artists playwiththeimage and notan actualevent.17 of the swastikalike the photomontageartistJohn representation The Chapmans'owndepictionofwardrawson the Heartfield, itin a similarwayso thatits manipulating mostevilimagesfamiliar to theirgeneration, thehor- potentsymbolism is thwarted. Theyare notafraidto intheirwork, rorsof theSecondWorldWar as perpetrated confront form of human the by every depravity 16.Freud, Manchester op.at.,p.277 1997, p.160. andS. Chaplin, Visual Culture : AnIntroduction , 17.J.A. Walker This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THECHAPMANS 71 British andaquatint, Disasters 100.JakeandDinosChapman, Museum). 144x 194mm(London, 1999,etching ofWar, topopularcultureintheshape and in thiscase racialgenocideis unavoidable.They Warsrocket;references fromthe1970stelevision linkedtotheidea of oftheStarshipEnterprise viewtheHolocaustas inextricably procockan explosive forms Trek. Star industrial Everything gramme efficiency: need- tailofimagesfortheChapmans'Disasters The idea thattheformoflogicand efficiency ofWar.They ed to indulgein racialgenocideat thelevelof the even conjureup a hand of God with'hate' on his concentration recallingthe demonicpreacherplayedby camp is indicativeof an industrial knuckles, in CharlesLaughton'sfilmTheNight Robert Mitchum industrial form of to that Our process. proximity murderimplicateseveryonewho has some form oftheHunter (1955).In thisparableofgoodand evil,the relation- it's part of our flow,our preacherhas 'love'and 'hate'tattooedon theknuckles of industrial of each hand. The Chapmansplay withthe words teleology. notonlytotheSon ofGod 'Man' and 'Sun',references to on the entrance the Recalling slogandepicted the concentration appearsinmanyof Jesus-type figure camps, 'Arbeitmacht frei',the (indeed,a strange to Charles but more the a cartoon-like a scene where include Manson,the directly prints), figure Chapmans and leader a ult with charismatic a to similar a with Hollywoodserialkiller. figure gunpoints standing him beforein hispersonincluded has work is 'Your are the words and inscribed Jake Chapman my spade, filledwith in earlierneuroticdrawings al iconography Death/Equivalence/Labour'. of make referalso the Nazi imagery aside, Chapmans images Conflict Nuclear holocaustmushroomclouds, acid rain, ences to war in the late twentieth century. Charles satanic figureson speedingmotorbikes, theUSA and USSR; a Star betweenthesuperpowers, This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

72 THECHAPMANS withlongblackstockings. nuditydressedin garters The closerdeathgotto beinghumanthemoreterribleherfury. This furywho put myhand in hers and tookme straight to hell.20 There is also a discerniblelink between the and the Symbolists' fascination Chapman'sportfolio withdeath,as represented eroticcreabytheterrifying turesmanifestin the darklugubriousprintsof the is particuBelgianartistFelicienRops.Thismorbidity in hisetching, LesEpaves , 1868(fig.101). larlymanifest The print waspublished as thefrontispiece toLesEpaves , thecondemnedpoemsfromCharlesBaudelaire's, Les Fleurs duMal.21The Chapmans'printsevokethemorbidityand densityof imagesof worksby Ensorand thestrange, creatures of Redon'slithodark,floating graphs. The almost hallucinogenicwritingsby suchas A Rebours Huysmans, (1884),and thedisturbing sexually graphicworksbytheMarquisde Sade,particdeSodom (1785)also infusetheir ularlyLes 120Journées workwithan auraofan unhealthy infatuation withsex and death. Bataille'sunstablenightmarish Uncannily, musings in Guilty recallsomeoftheimagesdepictedby instantly Goya, in particularPlate 72, The Consequences {Las Resultas) (fig.102): I evokedtheimageofa birdofpreygoingforthe throatof a smallerbird.I thoughtof darkleafy branchesturning on me,turning on mycomplacenaroused with the of the bird.The cy, anger predatory I gotwas ofa darkbirdswoopingdown impression on me and openingmythroat.22 ioi. Felicien 162x 103mm In one of theChapmans'printsa hand clutchesa , 1868,etching, Rops,LesEpaves British (London, Museum). bladeandburiesitdeepintoa moundofflesh, evoking a bladewhere Bataille'sdescription ofa handgripping 'thebloodspurtsoutin ecstasy'.23 Mansonand otherapocalyptic obsessions. . ..18 it is laughterthatsavesBataillefrom Surprisingly, Much of theworkis imbuedwiththeeroticism of goinginsane.He asksthequestion,can someonerealand hisobsessionwithhor- lylaughat death? GeorgesBataille's writings rorand obscenity, on edgeofmentalinstain itleavesyoulaughing constantly Laughterhangssuspended, You can't bility: suspense. keepup yourlaughter keeping In eroticism humansexuality obtainsitszenithas it up is ponderous.Laughterhangssuspended,it a (regulated)transgression of taboos. Eroticism doesn'taffirmanything, it doesn'tassuage anybecomesin Bataille's theorya wayto thecontinuity thing.24 ofbeingin death.19 WiththeChapmansitis a grim,ribaldRabelaisian Batailleevokesdeathas a seductive, eroticcreature: humourthatis detectable in manyoftheprints. They In the doorwayI founddeath who appeared as use humouras a weaponofdeflation and to indulge 18.C.Freedman, 'Back toSchool', October (entries Mors LePendu oulamèreFrieze, xlii,Septemberunnumbered), Syphilitica (p.420), etlefilsCharles andLemort grand (p.121) quidanse (p.419). 1998, p.62. Thinkers ,London 19.J.Lechte, Fifty Key Contemporary 1994, op.cit., p.100. 22.Bataille, p.39. Paris translated 20.G.Bataille, Guilty, 1966, byB.Boone, 23.Ibid. reprinted CA1988, Venice, p.56. 24.Bataille, op.cit., p.101. Felicien 21.SeeJ.-F. l'oeuvre , Paris1977 Rops, graphique complete Bory, This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THECHAPMANS 73 102.Francisco de Goya,TheDisasters no.72,TheConsequences British ofWar, (LasResultas), 155x 210mm(London, etching, Museum). theirappetiteforgameplaying. The impactofhorrific Bataillewasemployed as a librarian intheGabinetdes scenesis diluted;forexample,in one printa figure on Médaillésat the BibliothèqueNationale,he penned a crucifix eroticclassicTheStory shouts,'Oi, PeterI can see yourhousefrom thesurrealist oftheEyeduringhis here',and in anotherfigurespinroundon swastika lunch hour on BN-headed paper. Indeed, Andre childishsoundsof 'Weeeee'.The Masson'setchings forthebookbearsomeresemblance windmills, emitting accusedofan infantile and tothequirky, Chapmansare sometimes of sketchy styleoftheChapmans'Disasters in element their would War.25 This subversive behaviourfitsin with work,althoughthey puerile flagrantly in a situation theirinfiltration intoplacesofauthority, likea canker preferto deemit as placingthemselves thatis beyondtheircontrol: offtheartestablishment. AsJakeChapmanhas feeding We placeourselves withinsituations and allowall of resolutely declared: theproblems, thejokes,thelaughter and insanity of We'vealwaystriedto makeworkthatis ambivalent aboutitssurroundings. Or at leasttactically active producinga workof art to foldin on top of our in thatrespect.26 and entirely process.We arenotinanypositionofcontrolinthat strategic sense. thiscan makesomeworksimpotent, However, quite art as far as I'm concerned is The haveon displayat Making totally literally. Chapmanscurrently DeathMachine wrappedup in laughter- is totallywrappedup in Tate Moderna sculpturentidedLittle thatkindofphysiological momentofnotjustcogni- (Castrated ), 1993. In a formerlifethe sculpturewas becausewithworks knownsimplyas Little DeathMachine. The bizarrecontively understanding something ofartyouhavetopursuethem,theydon'tsitstill. traption consisted of It cannothavebeenloston thebrothers two cast sculptures of the brain [sat] affixedto a that,while fortheother surrealist classic 25.SeealsoMasson's etchings by Louis Lecon andL. Saphire, Andre Masson: d'Irène, 1928; Aragon, TheComplete vol.1:Surrealism NewYork Work, Graphic ig24~4g, 1990, pp.56-70. wasspeaking ona BBC2programme 26.Jake about the Chapman newTateModern, TheEnemy Within which used ,20May2000, themetaphor ofa virus off a hostbodytosubversive feeding works ofartentering thehallowed oftheartestablishportals ment andinfecting theinstitution. thereby invading This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

the chapmans 74 Disasters British 103.JakeandDinosChapman, ofWar, 1999,etching, 139x 193mm(London, Museum). deviceofpotentially Sadeanorigins whichthrough a Tate.The conservators inthe foundstrains ofbotulism crudelyarticulatedseriesof motorsand pulleys milkbottles,the receptaclesforthe 'semen',thereby achieveditsdegenerate one brain maiking ita healthhazardtothepublic.The wholeidea goal ofsmashing witha hammerwhilea dildo ejaculatedsynthetic of infiltration intoestablished, authorities controlling semenontotheother.27 the reflects undoubted neatly Chapmans linkagetothe Exhibitedas partofa thematic MarcelDuchamp,whoseUrinal is displaybearingthe mastergame-player, titleof 'SubversiveObjects',the sculpture, renamed coincidentally a fewroomsaway.The delibdisplayed Little DeathMachine sitsmutelyin a perspex erateamateurish, Meccano-likeconstruction ofLittle (Castrated), - all itslifeforcelost DeathMachine(Castrated) in one of the is referenced case,rendereduseless,impotent and withthe added indignity of having'castrated' printsfromtheDisasters of ofWarsuite.A cross-section added to its original tide in parenthesis.The a penisis intricately drawnto showtheinnerworkings ofa complicated HeathRobinson-type to Chapmansadmitthat experiment Whenoursculptures worktheyachievetheposition reproducesperm(fig.103). ofreducingtheviewerto a stateofabsolutemoral The Chapmansthemselves arenotabovedisplaying troublesome onanism- theyplaywithart,their panic. . . they're completely objects.28 a degreeofartistic Buttroublesome towhom?Iftheobjectis notfunc- audienceand themselves. Even theirmentorGoya is as it the viewer/ feels cheated of with In theoriginell deflated visual should, tioning voyeur trickery. imagefor theexperience and isleftdissatisfied, likean unfulfilledPlate72,TheConsequence , theimpactofthehuge,bloodAddedto this,theobjectis also an irritant to suckingbat-likemonsterfeedingoffa dead man is partner. itsguardians, thecurators whonowcareforitswelfare. shownfrombehind,exposinga merewoodenconLittle DeathMachine(Castrated) cannotfunction at the struction, no moreperhapsthana piece of scenery 27.Fogle, Chapmanworld, op.cit. 28.Ibid. This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THECHAPMANS 75 Disasters andaquatint, British 104.JakeandDinosChapman, ofWar, 1999,etching 143x 201mm(London, Museum). froma play(fig.104). Freedmanastutelyobservesin his piece on the The brothers 'reiterates manipulate imagesoftheirownsculp- Chapmans'retakenGCSEs, thatstatement turesas iftheywereringmasters inchargeofa circusof whatthepublichavethought all along,thatconceptuevengoingso faras havingtheirchargesdefe- al artists cannotdraw'.30 freaks, Justoramthepointhomeone catedon and inserting who and more a cartoon-like, childishtime,inone oftheprints mocking figures point hurlabuseat them,suchas 'Same old shit'.Whenthey lyrenderedcreature at a with pointsmockingly figure turnthegame on themselves, 'Ha, ha your[sic]drawnbad!' theycramtheirworks two-heads, laughing, withjokes and visualpunslikegraffiti on a lavatory But, as CharlesBooth-Clibborn has pointedout, door.In drawings suchas ExcessEnergy Expenditure Page theirworkis morethana mereludicturn.It is a serias ťtheartists known ous dialoguewithart history. Most of the devices //,theysignthemselves formerly as dickand anus' and 'ChapmannequinsIne'. The employedby the Chapmanshave theirrootsfirmly so farhas been their basedinDada, Surrealism and post-Surrealism. Their apotheosisoftheirgame-playing where for are a scribbled of exhibiting space,'Chapman(F)arts', theyproud- drawings, example, fury collage, covereverysurface. ly displayedthe resultsof theirretakenGCSEs in pen and inkthattortuously They was recallPicabia'spainting L30eilCacodylate 1998.BothachievedgradeB and thecertificate , 1921,inwhich on thewall,itself an exhibit.29 Dinos a blankcanvaswasplacedintheartist's studioandvisproudly displayed has been quoted as sayingthatyou cannotwin the itorswereinvitedto coveritwithsignatures, doodles, TurnerPrizewithoutO'Level Art.This provokedthe punsand aphorisms. Tate to issue a statement The criticAdrianSearle made a glib observation denyingthatO'Level Art was a requirement to win theTurnerPrize.As Carl abouttheChapmans'Disasters ofWarin pointingout brothers were students attheRoyal 29.Both post-graduate College ofArt, 1988-90. Turner a draw.,p.63.SeealsoProject 30.Freedman, Prize, op.cit forhe soldatChristie's New ingbytheChapmans Contemporary, lotno.256. York, 4June 1998, This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

76 THECHAPMANS Disasters British 105.JakeandDinosChapman, ofWar, 1999,soft-ground etching, 133x 197mm(London, Museum). that 'various illustrations are straightout of the drawings. Likedementednecromancers theyfeverishAntoninArtaudpop-upAnthology and the Georges lymanipulate toevoketheirvisions printing techniques Batailleprimer'.31 This maybe a true,ifsuperficial,of brutality. in the Enactingviciousactsof terrorism observation butSearleseemstohavemissedthewealth brothers' fearful worldare strangeasexual'teletubby' of creative intensitywhich fuelled the project. creatureswithgormlessexpressions, eerilyrecalling thebrothers lurchstylistically fromthespi- similarprotagonists in Matta's depictionof crimes Admittedly, oftheautomatic againsthumanity, forexamplethe portfolioChile11 derystyleofArtaudand thefreeness 33 - Américains of Masson to the febrile of 11 Wols's latino , 1974. The scenesof drawings intensity Sepembre also recallthevicious biomorphic shapes.TheysharewithWolsa fascination mindlessviolenceand brutality withclose-upsofmicroscopic lifeforms.In one work, gang terrorism in filmssuch as StanleyKubrick'sA theGhapmansdepicta tinyfoetusdelicately drawn, Clockwork Orange (1971). in the middle of the It turns into a monThe majority oftheprintsarefilledwithcharacters floating print. strouscreature whentheviewersuddenly noticesithas drawnin theGhapmans'distinctive, awkdeliberately a hugehighly of ward,childish burdevelopedpenis(fig.105).The fragility style. Theyformtheirownfantastic lineisakintoWolsandbearsa relation tohisobsession lesque offreakish thatconstandy intrudeand figures withthebiomorphic ofshapes.32 These interweave withinGoya'simagesor formtormented metamorphosis are all aspectscommonto theGhapmans'Disasters oftheirowft.The Ghapmans'fascination of mise-en-scènes . War withGoya'srepresentation ofevilmadethemexamine FromArtaudtheyborrowthe nervousintensity of hisworkin greatdetail: his'hieroglyphics' or 'spells',as he referred to hisown in Goyais thedegreetowhichhe conOur interest ofRidicule', Guardian Matta: raisonné del'oeuvre ,23March 31.A.Searle, 'Objects 1999 33.R. Sabatier, catalogue gravé (1943-1974), ArtandExistentialism TateGallery, Stockholm-Paris, War, , London, 32.ParisPost1975, p.147. 9june~5 September 1993, p.181. This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THECHAPMANS 77 British andaquatint, Disasters 106.JakeandDinosChapman, Museum). 145x 197mm(London, ofWar, 1999,etching to try turbing to territorialize intensity. apocalyptic transgression standyattempts wasthepiece The lastmajorprojectforthebrothers which is within and somehowrepresent something : Beauty withinthelaw,buthe con- entidedHellfortheRoyalAcademy's thelimitsofprohibition, Apocalypse Artshow.It was another and Horror in Contemporary standyexceedsthatlimit. butshapedintheformofan enorminiature areasofextreme violence: Soon theywerenoticing ensemble, We startedto noticecertainsolarizedareas in the mous swastikawitha smokingvolcanoas itscentretorture horrific scenesofmutilation, vio- piece.It featured imageswhichwereoftenthepointsofextreme soldiers. deathofover10,000miniature becomes and ultimately lence,(forexample)an area ofcastration becomesa An eerieevocationofthissculpture is,notsurprisingly, heavilydrawn.So theprocessofdrawing in intimated several of the Disasters ofcertainareas. formofintensification ofWarseries already They remanipulateGoya's figuresin theirown (fig.106). to someofhismostdisturbing The Chapmanscannothelpbutpresentheviewer scenes,callingattention visualexpeand disconcerting themin theirown style.For withan uncomfortable imagesand reworking a of war as seen from late Do where rience What More Can One Plate ?, twentieth-century 33, example, A criticism oftheir oftenlevelledat artists Frenchsoldiersripa nakedman'sbodyin halfwitha perspective. isthattheyareouttoshock.Depictingwar, , in generation hugecutlass,or Plate 36, Not(in ThisCase)Either whicha Frenchsoldiersmilesas he watchesa hanging aspectsof carnage,and sordid,degradingand cruel incidents cannotbe sanitizedor madepalatable.The corpsedanglefroma tree. The Ghapmanscontinueto playwithart history,Ghapmans'dictumis not to shock,but to forcethe withtheirwork: the viewerintoconfrontation and theirdebt to the supremegame-players, art people have now started seems more and more evident.Most Surrealists, [In] contemporary fortheword recently theyhave completeda set of printsentitled usingtheterm'shock'as a replacement Itonly butitdoesn'treallymeananything. The 'cadavreexquis'as playedbythe beautiful, Exquisite Corpse. tohavea transcendent meansan attempt was based on thegameknownin England Surrealists experience ofartand thenitbecomes,well,is theworkshockas 'Consquences',wherepieces of paper are passed The rounda groupand each personhas to writea phrase, ing?I don'tthinkanyworkofartis shocking. ofworksofart thenfoldthepaperand pass iton to thenextperson, problemwithpeople'sinterpretation as towhatitis theend resultbeinga storyfullof bizarrejuxtaposi- on thatlevelis theyareveryconfused ofa workofart.So tions.The Surrealists they'resupposedto do in front developedthisgamewithimages and very it becomesverymelodramatic and the Ghapmanshave extendedthe idea further, therefore Each brotherdesigned theatricalin termsof theirPavlovianresponse.It usingprintmaking techniques. likebeauthoseterminologies a section,whichwas thenconcealedand passed on, becomesbehavioural, of to and that it riddled are used secure in a of some of maelstrom way viewing ty police imagery, resulting ofdisart.It'sdangerousand it'smeaningless. withChapmanhumourand otherpartsreeking This content downloaded from 129.93.16.3 on Mon, 07 Dec 2015 16:15:08 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions