Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sex Workers' Cards Gilbert & George Style


It seems I'm in esteemed company. For their latest exhibition at White Cube, Gilbert & George will feature sex workers' cards found in phone boxes, as well as tacky tourist postcards and flyers. And judging by the comments from Guardian readers to an article about the exhibition, Gilbert, George and I are not the only ones to have collected them over the years.

I got most of these in the early 1990s. I can't remember why I started collected them (no, I never called the numbers); I was at art college at the time, it was probably an art project of some kind (no, really). I do prefer these rather quaint, old fashioned cards with their hand-drawn/badly photocopied look to the more modern, full colour, photographic ones. Not that I've looked for some years now. Do they still exist? Do phone boxes still exist? I'm guessing the internet and mobiles have rendered them both obsolete. Maybe they'll be worth something one day.

• The Urethra Postcard Pictures runs at White Cube, Mason's Yard, from Friday til 19 Feb 2011.

2 comments :

Mel said...

I think you were actually just a lonely pervert in the 90s, and that's why you collected them - this 'art project' stuff won't wash with me, young man.

Barnaby said...

That's a bit harsh, love. You are right of course, though. However, I am about to make large screen prints from the cards. So there.