Art Metropole

#13952

The Etiquette of the Arms Trade: Undercover Drawings

Artist

Jill Gibbon

Price

$37.00

Date

2018

Publisher

Beam Editions

Format

Artists' Books

ISBN

978-1-9164200-0-7

Size

21 × 27 cm

Length

64 pp

Genre

Drawing

The Etiquette of the Arms Trade is the first comprehensive collection of drawings by artist Jill Gibbon. Selected from a ten year period, the drawings document the corrupting culture of the world’s largest arms trade shows. This extraordinary artist bravely works undercover with a false identity, to expose the thin veil of ‘respectability’ over this brutal inhumane trade.

Depicting lethal weaponry alongside corporate entertainment including a fashion show, string quartet and champagne, the drawings show how arms deals are given a polite veneer. There are also cracks in the façade with continual drinking, the objectification of women, and expressions of greed, lust, and despair.

The book includes two essays by the artist ‘The Etiquette of the Arms Trade’ which places the project in the context of the globalised arms industry, and ‘Drawing as Reportage’ that explores the role of drawing in contrast to photography.

Hardcover, cloth-bound, colour.