Andrew Gilbert

Born in: 1980
From: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Lives and works: Berlin, Germany
Represented by: Sperling

UN goals

Biography

Scottish artist Andrew Gilbert blends historical facts with fictional scenarios to explore the lasting impact of British colonialism and imperialism. His large-scale installations and works on paper use dark humor and absurdity to challenge Western narratives of Empire and its ongoing influence today. By reimagining key historical episodes, such as British exploitation in China and India, Gilbert exposes the hidden violence of colonialism and its continued resonance in modern global politics.

Gilbert’s art combines historical and contemporary themes, using anachronism to shed light on the cultural displacements and contradictions at the heart of Western modernization. His tragicomic narratives, such as Scottish Highlanders in Zulu land, highlight the absurdity of imperialism and its enduring effects on the global psyche. His works offer a powerful critique of the legacies of empire and their influence on the modern world.

Career highlights

Solo shows

2025, Sperling, Munich, Germany: Andrew is Trapped in Tiger Fur Church
2024, The Delta INST, Hangzhou, China: The Sun will never set on the Leek Phone™ Empire
2022, Municipal Museum and Gallery in Hořice, Czechia: Emperor Andrew’s glorious occupation of exotic Horice
2020, Kunstverein Friedrichshafen, Germany: The Rise and Fall of Emperor Andrew’s Instant Coffee Plantation

Group shows

2020, KINDL - Zentrum für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Berlin, Germany: The Invented History
2016, National Gallery, Singapore: Artist and Empire: (En)countering Colonial Legacies
2015, Tate Britain, London, UK: Artist and Empire
2013, Marta Herford, Herford, Germany: Visions