CAMPBELL’S SOUP CAN after Andy Warhol (1962) 2015
14th – 29th January 2015 The Fine Art Society, Contemporary
Chinese Whispers presents over 20 works, marking the development of a series first glimpsed in their acclaimed 2013 exhibition Transforming. The exhibition coincides with the publication of a new book, of the same title, documenting all 66 works, with an introductory essay by critic Sacha Craddock.
At the heart of this exhibition is the exploration of the notion of truth. The Carters commissioned selected Warhol works to be reproduced by professional artists in China. The resulting copies were replicated again in different workshops. This process was repeated with each reproduction, with each individual copyist making subtle, almost imperceptible changes to their own version. These alterations build on each other, layer upon layer, until the final version emerges, a faithful reproduction of its predecessor but a stark contrast to the original image; an artistic Chinese whisper.
A highlight of the exhibition comprises 50 individually framed iterations of Warhol’s iconic The Last Supper, spanning 9 metres.
This series explores the differences in image perception between the East and the West and also comments on the issue of authenticity in art.
Art writer and critic, Sacha Craddock writes,
“This series of work by the Carters, a departure in terms of technology and personal touch, still asks questions about time, about which moment out of every one reproduced is true and valuable. Is the idea still all when each individual artist involved has as much agency as a cog locked in step with its neighbour?”
About The Artists
Artistic duo Rob and Nick Carter were born in the UK in 1968 and 1969 respectively, and live and work in London, making work which stretches across a range of mediums including painting, photography, digital, sculpture and installations. Their work is housed in collections of the Mauritshuis, The Hague, the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the David Roberts Foundation, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Stadel Museum, Frankfurt and Fondation Custodia, Paris. They have been shortlisted for the Sovereign Art Prize and The John Moores Painting Prize. The artists have executed a number of significant public and corporate commissions throughout London including works for Great Ormond Street Hospital, The Royal Parks, London, Cardinal Place, Victoria, 200 Aldersgate and Saville Row. Following their major solo exhibition ‘Transforming’ at The Fine Art Society, London in 2013, their Transforming Still Life Painting was the first contemporary artwork ever shown at The Frick Collection in New York City in the acclaimed exhibition Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis.
@robandnick
