PIERRE ET GILLES

In 1976 the couple formed by photographer Pierre and painter Gilles began to develop a unique language where references to pop culture and art history rub shoulders, resulting in a marvellous, subversive, unusual and engaged body of work. Their new, previously unseen series is haunted by a synthetic neon glow, infused with the light of the underworld and artificial paradises. Euphoric nostalgia for the heyday of the Palace, the mythical Paris nightclub they are so frequently linked to, or disenchantment with a world where all the battles have possibly been won? Pierre et Gilles populate the works with some of their favourite characters: sailor, angel, rascal and urchin. Characters who are placed in undefined, shady spaces which could be a nightclub, fairground or cabaret. Their models, some naked, some tattooed, couples in love and disheartened singles, form a seductive, joyful and vaguely unsettling throng. In the midst of this gay, trans, cross-cultural youth, Pierre et Gilles put two self-portraits into the mix. One, imbued with solemn melancholy, shows them as separate. The other depicts them as lively retirees in an old-fashioned picture-postcard setting. Playing on the ambiguities of different registers, Pierre et Gilles lay claim to their camp universe with a good dose of humour. They are also implicitly portraying a shadowy world, a depiction oscillating between optimism and disillusion.

As a counterpoint, Pierre et Gilles unveil two portraits of their long-standing muses: Amanda Lear as a boulevard theatre actress, and Isabelle Huppert as a majestic Mary Stuart. The portraits provide a contrast that spotlights the originality of the new way Pierre et Gilles are working with light. The use of harsh artificial lighting that never dims but transfigures characters is one of the most radical aspects of their recent practice. It can be read as a powerful metaphor for resistance to the passing of time that levels everything, existences as well as combats. What degree of benevolence has the LGBTQI+ community succeeded in garnering after over half a century of societal progress? What place and consideration is there today for people on the margins of society?