A review of Anselm Kiefer exhibition at White Cube Bermonday tours room by room, with analytic descriptions of the large scale works on view.

Superstrings, the Norms, Gordian Knot

One enters the massive White Cube Gallery in Bermondsey and finds oneself in a darkened avenue bordered by large vertical paintings. Vitrines framed with broad metal casing contain accumulations of mixed media, the Superstrings. On closer attention, scrawed on the glass formulas for the scientific specialist, e.g. in Vitrine number 1 to the left reads Vu+xqa i/2 kud(lodk)ekx, whatever that means. Behind this a confusion of coiled cord, tangled loops of white and black lengths, suspended against a bleached-out suggestion of industrial landscape, silhouetted shapes of buildings and chimneys. Another formula scrawled on the glass. V(Nkov):xeinx encased. Are these scientific string theory? (1) In this panel the bunched confusion of cords lies on a silvered textured ground, which may be canvas but resembles parchment. In the fourth vitrine is a mesh of wire squared grid imposed over an absolute forest of black cord, fused and gutted, with white cord disposed at the base. The message seems to be the toppled towers of science, corrupted by the sensual intuitive surge of the artwork. The formulae are reduced to a scrawled nonsense. Vitrine number 6 is a chaotic tangle of elements....