Despite their striking two-piece suits and longstanding artistic credentials, Gilbert and George don’t draw much attention from passersby as they stroll down London’s Brick Lane.
George Passmore, 81, and his husband, Gilbert Prousch, 79, have lived in the area since 1968. They work as a piece of living sculpture, the idea being that everything they do is art, and they are very much part of the local community. On Saturday, they will open the first permanent site for their work, in a former industrial building on Heneage Street just a stone’s throw from their home and studio.
Before acquiring the site in 2015, the Gilbert and George Centre was established as a charity in 2009 in order to advance the public’s engagement with the arts, architecture and heritage. In line with the couple’s enduring slogan “art is for all”, the space will be free to enter, and they are expecting about 200 visitors a week.
Having a free arts space means a lot to local people like Yvonne Gregory, who has lived on Brick Lane for the past 30 years and has noticed a seismic shift in the neighbourhood’s demographic since. “The area has changed phenomenally, it’s not even comparable,” she said. “Back then, it wasn’t really a place people would choose to live in. There wasn’t one coffee shop, and there were no galleries, cinemas or anything. It was quite a desolate area.
“Now there’s a good audience here, there’s lots of people who are interested in art. And I think it really needs to be as accessible as it can be to make sure that a lot of people who would not normally go will go.”
In order to protect the trade of local businesses, there is no cafe adjoining the centre’s three exhibition spaces and small garden gallery.
Rav Kumar, who has run the nearby Brick Lane Coffee shop for the past two years, said this decision would have a positive impact on businesses. “It will definitely bring good change for us. Gilbert and George are so popular, they’re going to bring a lot of people,” he said.
Kumar believes the artists’ community conscience is intentional and embedded in their life and work. Gilbert and George are devoted customers of his; when the site renovations began, the building staff also became regulars. “That’s why they’re doing what they’re doing, that’s their ambition: to bring something to the public before they leave.”
Anna Sereno, who works at her family’s 123-year-old restaurant, Pellici’s, has spent her life in the East End and knows Gilbert and George well. As well as the artists being regular customers, she considers them neighbours and friends too. Though Sereno has also seen a lot of change in the last 30 years, the prospect of the new art centre is exciting to her; the duo’s long connection to the area makes the opening of the space special.
“Being as famous as they are, I think it’s fantastic they’ve chosen to do this in the local area,” she said. “They could have chosen to do it anywhere – any fancy art gallery in west London – so I think it’s fabulous they’re giving something back to their local community, to us.”
She hopes the gallery opening will not only benefit her business, but also the area more generally. “People will flock from all over the world to go and see that space; in turn, when they come, they might spot a little caff like ours, so everyone benefits.
“The East End has always been a bit rough around the edges but we have a lot of soul,” she continued. “The Gilbert and George Centre is a new landmark in our little neck of the woods, they’ve put another little point on the map for us.”
