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X-WR-CALNAME:Essex Book Festival
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20250520T190000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20250520T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T161237
CREATED:20250226T103220
LAST-MODIFIED:20250225T143546
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SUMMARY:Gilbert & George and the Communists
DESCRIPTION:In conversation with James Birch\nGilbert & George and the Communists\nAn event presented in partnership with EA Festival and The Minories\nTuesday 20th May\, 7.00pm\nVenue: The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1UE\nTickets: £15.00\nBox Office: eafestival.com\nOn 20 May\, EA Festival will kick off a new event series in partnership with Essex Book Festival and The Minories\, with all the talks taking place at the latter. If you don’t know The Minories\, it is located directly opposite Firstsite in Colchester and the exhibition space for the superb art collection of the Victor Batte Lay Foundation\, in addition to being a vibrant hive of art and community activity.\n\nTo inaugurate the series of art-themed talks\, James Birch\, the curator\, gallerist and art impresario with many ties to East Anglia\, will introduce his newest book\, Gilbert & George and the Communists.\n\nThe book memorialises James’ experience of mounting major art exhibitions in Moscow and China for the irreverent and iconic art duo\, Gilbert & George\, after the great success of bringing Francis Bacon to Russia in 1988. (The latter experience was documented by James in his book\, Bacon in Moscow\, published in 2022.)\n\nThe reader is propelled forward by Birch’s sensitive retelling of his relationship with Gilbert and George\, and his quest to understand the moorings of their art\, while negotiating the black box decision making processes of his Communist patrons\, all during one of the most tumultuous eras of political upheaval in those two countries (perestroika and Tiananmen).\n\nIt’s a multi-faceted romp through the art world and politics of the late 80s and early 90s that James will bring to life when he joins us on stage at The Minories.\n\n \nAbout James Birch\nJames is a curator who has promoted modern art exhibitions around the world for over 30 years. He opened his first gallery in 1983\, followed by two more in London over the next two decades. James has exhibited artists including Grayson Perry\, Francis Bacon\, Gilbert & George\, Genesis P Orridge\, Austin Osman Spare and Denis Wirth-Miller.\n\n \n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://ec2-35-176-91-154.eu-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/event/gilbert-george-and-the-communists/
LOCATION:74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE
CATEGORIES:In Conversation,In partnership
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