Is the shit going to hit the fans?

“Beware of the men who sit on the wall

Who eat their own shit

And drink their own piss”.

This is a biblical quote, according to the George half of London artists Gilbert & George.

The pair’s Naked Shit Pictures will be exhibited at the South London Gallery in Brixton from 5 September to 15 October. What are they getting at, one might ask, with their bums, willies and poos? Not to mention extremely close close-ups of each artist’s anus.

“These are complicated emotional issues for us,” says George.

“We linked shit and Christian imagery as they are unifying elements – everybody has some kind of religion and everybody shits.”

The excretion pictured is the real thing, courtesy of both artists. “It’s not nasty or dirty. We’d die without it. Shit has a lot of different aspects,” adds George.

Apparently, the exhibition has provoked an “enthusiastic and emotional” response as a result of its recent German tour. Are these euphemisms for the “yuck” and “that’s not art” kind of responses elicited chez DW? Or are the Germans cooler about bodily functions than their uptight British counterparts?