Michael Landy announcing the numbers at a tense Bingo game
©Nick Harvey
It was eyes down for a special themed Brexit Bingo evening hosted by Michael Landy and Gillian Wearing in their East London studio for the annual Contemporary Art Society's Artists Table dinner to raise funds for the CASs charitable work. All of the hundred or so guests – who included artists Isaac Julian, Conrad Shawcross and Anya Gallaccio as well the director of the Whitchapel Gallery Iwona Blazwick, Goldmiths Professor Richard Noble and the collector Valeria Napoleone – were issued with two games worth of bingo cards and special marker pens; and after the main course of the fully vegan dinner (catered by Vanilla Black vegetarian restaurant) Landy assumed the role of Bingo compère.
Landy was resplendent in a red, white and blue cap complete with British Bulldog motif and against a backdrop of a Union Jack, yards of bunting and a large blue and gold starred EU sign emblazoned with the word Brexshit. As Landy called out the numbers with aplomb, he was accompanied by many excited shrieks from the diners, many of whom were Bingo virgins. With the prizes on offer all original Brexit-related artworks by Landy, emotions ran very high as numbers came tantalizingly close to the full complement. There was considerable jealousy at the lucky few who got enough to be able to shout out Brexit Bingo! and claim their prize. Especial envy was directed at Aliya Nedungadi who got a full house and so was the lucky winner of the top prized of Landys original Brexshit artwork.
Michael Landy and Gillian Wearing with a print
© Nick Harvey
However for those whose numbers did not come up in sufficient quantity there was the opportunity to buy a limited edition lithograph of a joint portrait of the art power couple Landy and Wearing made by the duo especially for the occaision for the evenings special price of £1,200 (unframed) or £1,400 (framed). This is meant to be for attendees of the Artists Table only but there are a few works left at this price if anyone feels a belated urge…
Yet whether the parting guests were owners of new artworks or not, everyone left with a glow of bonhomie and what was undoubtedly the best of goodie bags, the contents of which had also been created by Landy. These took the form of a bespoke mini-wheelie bin (channelling the memory of Landys classic Scrapheap Services work) as well as an Up Eurs air freshener that commemorated the famous Sun newspaper headline "Up Yours, [French President Jacques] Delors”. In the opinion of your correspondent the best gift of all was a Union Jack Hard Brexit condom, which offers at least some solace if Britain crashes out of the EU.
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