Gilbert & George PARKING, 2020

Created over the past two years, Gilbert & George’s NEW NORMAL PICTURES are a continuation of their street-level explorations of life in East London. In PARKING (2020) the familiar suited figures of the artists are flanked by two running youths in early 20th century attire. At the centre is a profile of Christ, whose metal crown of thorns and features seem to entwine with the iron railings behind the artists. ‘Christ’s crown and beard are on the wrong side of the fence,’ reads the artists’ caption in the exhibition catalogue in which the work was first published. Together with the tilted angles of the paving and railings, these elements contribute to the sense of an altered state, echoing the political and social changes of the current era and the new normality they have created.