When an emancipatory politics is based upon unambiguous categorisations of identity, clarity is everything. Gilbert & George, by contrast, have been turning themselves into an image for more than fifty years – an image that never quite adds up. They admire Thatcher, insult Christians, celebrate skinheads as patriots, and pee in each other’s mouths. In the deadlock of identity politics, their work reminds us of the political power of productive withdrawal.