depictions of hell by jake and dinos chapman at the hermitage

‘end of fun’ by jake and dinos chapmanimage © jake and dinos chapmanphoto © hugo glendinningcourtesy the hermitage, st. petersburg

jake and dinos chapman: end of funthe state hermitage museum, st. petersburg, russiaon now through january 13th, 2013

young british artists jake and dinos chapman build highly elaborate iconoclastic installations and sculptures brought to life with caustic wit and confronting effervescence – their hellscape ‘end of fun’ currently being shown at the hermitage museum in russia. the artwork of the chapman brothers tackle ideas surrounding contemporary politics, religion, myth and morality, with ‘end of fun’ depicting an interpretation of hell – tens of thousands of miniature figures in nazi uniform performing abhorrent acts of cruelty. the chapman brothers are renowned for exploring and articulating a spectrum of beauty and pain, humour and horror in ways that jolt the  viewer into contemplation – portraying a portentous observation of the twentieth-century through the lens of our own voyeurism.

image © jake and dinos chapmanphoto © hugo glendinningcourtesy the hermitage, st. petersburg

image © jake and dinos chapmanphoto © hugo glendinningcourtesy the hermitage, st. petersburg

image © jake and dinos chapmanphoto © hugo glendinningcourtesy the hermitage, st. petersburg

image © marcin lachowicz