Absurdist Ammunition
Following the warm reception and unexpected success of their art book LE GUN, its editors have assembled more of Europe's budding talent to publish a second edition. LE GUN 2 is a large-format collection of paintings, drawings, collage, comics and illustrated fiction that teeters somewhere between social criticism and absolute absurdity. The compilation features work by relative unknowns, as well as established artists, the likes of Sir Peter Blake and Alan Kitching. Always expecting to release a sequel, LE GUN's London-based editorial team was blown away by the submissions they received after the first edition hit the stands. They describe the newly-featured artists as "the dreamers, the misfits, people who love drawing and storytelling, the eccentric rather than the fashionable, and people who appreciate a rare, collectable, and unusual publication."
With that in mind, they've succeeded wildly in their aim; LE GUN 2 is a visually fantastic compilation of skillful, provocative and intelligent art. It begins with a fitting quote from Andre Breton: "The man who can't visualise a horse galloping on a tomato is an idiot." Each following page switches gears effortlessly between fantastical dadaism, pointed fable-telling, and grotesque realism. Within nearly all of its works are underlying preoccupations with the notions of faded glory, youthful exploits and a culture destined to collapse upon itself at any moment. Playfully vibrant yet soberingly dark, the narratives simultaneously serve to subvert and reverence European culture, especially that of Paris.
The book is now available in high supply at the Tate Modern's bookstore, Magma in Covent Garden, Art Words in Shoreditch and the Whitechapel Art Gallery, as well as online, for only £8. Satisfied buyers and up-and-coming artists can expect a third edition in the future, for which its editors are currently accepting submissions.
