Showing – Gert and Uwe Tobias, ‘The Hora Never Stops’ @ Sprüth Magers Projekte - Munich

There’s these two twins, and they do big old woodcuts and sculptures. You’ve probably heard of them; Gert and Uwe Tobias. Apparently they come from a Transylvania-esque part of Romania, and whether or not this is PR banter, I don’t care, because I rather like the notion of woodcuts and Dracula. Their work's kind of interesting too. It’s full of skulls and monsters and shock-frock horror. It’s the type of stuff you’d expect from a couple of men from Transylvania, who’ve grown up surrounded by the ledgend of Vlad the Impaler, under the tyrannical rule of Nicolae Ceausescu. The duo moved to Germany in '85 where they first discovered Bram Stoker's Dracula (Ironically, Ceausescu wasn’t so keen on airing that part of Romania’s history). Much like the rest for the world outside communist Romania, all this folklore must have been a surprise for the Tobias boys. It must have been like a breath of pine-fresh, fruity air.

Given all this experience, it’s probably not that surprising the Tobias brothers’ work is kind of dark, laced by a little wry, dry humour. It makes sense, really, because these guys know where they’re from and in that, they also know precisely where they’re at. It also makes for some interesyting works.

Like the Chapmans, it’s a collaborative, reciprocal effort between the two brothers. However, the Tobias’ have three studios; one each, and a third, which they share. It's a system that works as the pair can certianly churn out work. For their upcoming show at Sprüth Magers, the duo have gone for four large woodcuts, a selection of works on paper, and couple of sculptures. They’ll be exhibiting these pieces in a red setting as the gallery walls will be painted in an ox-blood tone. They've dubbed it ‘The Hora Never Stops’. Funny that...

Gert and Uwe Tobias, ‘The Hora Never Stops’ @ Sprüth Magers Projekte, Ludwigstr. 780539, Munich, from 25th January – 17th March.