Punk Exhibitions from Around the World!
There have been a number of major retrospective exhibitions in the USA, the UK, Australia and some European countries over the past few years that have featured a selection of punk artefacts from private archives, including photographs, video footage, posters, flyers and clothing. These exhibitions, often held at high profile galleries and museums, confirm that ‘historical punk’ maintains its place of relevance in the contemporary world,
Below are some of these exhibitions:
USA:
A Punk Rock Primer: L.A. 1982-1992 - Incredibly intuitive snapshots of Minor Threat, Henry Rollins & Black Flag, T.S.O.L., The Damned, Christian Death, GBH, Kommunity FK, Social Distortion, Alice Bag, and some of the first ever shows by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Alternative Voices - 1980s Punk San Francisco: Photographs by Jeanne Hansen.
From Bop Apocalypse to Blitzkrieg Bop
Punkfest Cornell: Anarchy in the Archives - A week-long celebration of punk music and history in Ithaca, N.Y.!
Punk Lust: Raw Provocation 1971 - 1985 - The Museum of Sex presents this exhibition as a survey, looking at the way Punk culture used the language of sexuality–both visually and lyrically–to transgress and defy.
The Punk Photography of Linda Aronow - Still photos taken by Linda Aronow that managed to capture the most iconic bands of the day over multiple gigs spanning over a decade.
Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics, 1976-1986 (New York) and Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics, 1976-1986 (Michigan) - An exhibition that explores the unique visual language of the punk movement from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s through hundreds of its most memorable graphics–flyers, posters, albums, promotions, and zines.
Welcome to 1984//2020: Punk on the Western Front - An exhibition that keeps the spirit of rebellion alive by “presenting the timeless generational phenomenon of punk culture through its visual art style, moments in its musical history, disorderly fashion and anti-conformist ideologies.
X: 40 Years of Punk in Los Angeles - An exhibition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Los Angeles punk rock band X.
Visual Vitriol - Eugene, Houston, New Mexico
Visual Vitriol; The Art Of Punk
UK:
Doing metal, being punk, doing punk, being metal - A collaboration between the Punk Scholars Network and the International Society for Metal Music Studies to explore the hybridity, crossover and difference in punk and metal subcultures - as part of the Punk Scholars Network 5th Annual Conference and Postgraduate Symposium and first Metal Punk Conference.
Punk - An exhibition of vintage press prints that document the rise of punk culture in 1970s Britain.
Punk.London - An exhibition by the Museum of London celebrating 40 years of punk in London, including oral stories from 19 individuals who had all been there to witness the birth of punk. The exhibition also included: Collecting Punks - current and former punks offer a 'Show and Tell' of objects, photographs and stories from their punk days and Filming Punks - two new documentary films, Punks parts one and two, which feature interviews with former punks.
Punk Rock!! So What? - An exhibition featuring a range of punk graphic and visual material spanning the past forty years, demonstrating connections, stylistic conventions, patterns of engagement and the evolution of punk’s visual language and identity across diverse regions and cultures.
Europe:
Punk Graphics - An exhibition at the ADAM Design Museum of Brussels.
PUNK. Its Traces in Contemporary Art - An exhibition that traces a journey through the influence of punk in contemporary art and echoes the importance of its presence as an attitude and as a referent for many creators.
Australia:
High Risk Dressing / Critical Fashion - High Risk Dressing / Critical Fashion looked at the ideas and community coalescing within contemporary fashion practice today through the lens of the Fashion Design Council (FDC).
Know your Product - An exhibition, which focused on the complicated overlaps between music, art and other cultural practices, was an early attempt to make sense of what had been going on in Brisbane ‘youth culture’ in the late 70s and early 80s.
Melbourne><Brisbane: punk, art and after - An explosive interaction between art and punk music in the mid-1970s, which drove a charged decade of creative activity between Melbourne and Brisbane.
Nick Cave The Exhibition - In 2007, iconic Australian musician, songwriter and author Nick Cave became the subject of his own exhibition: Nick Cave: The Exhibition, created by Nick and The Arts Centre Melbourne.
On Air - 40 Years of 3RRR - Celebrating 40 years of Melbourne independent radio in the first-ever exhibition showcasing Triple R, Australia’s largest and most successful community station.
Paper Tigers - An exhibition of the 1970s celebrating Sydney’s dynamic poster art and public protest movements, from the late 1960s through the ’70s to the early ’80s.
Punk Journey: St Kilda + Beyond - An exhibition with a strong focus on St Kilda as the historical epicentre of the vibrant Melbourne Punk scene from 1977-1987.
St Kilda's Alright - The Fred Negro Experience - A retrospective and contemporary exhibition consisting of a visually rich pastiche of paintings, drawings, memorabilia, photos, history, film and music – celebrating the history and contribution of one of St Kilda’s most iconic artists and residents (Fred Negro).
Related Sites:
Punk exhibition at the Museum of London
Punk into Post Punk
Related Articles:
Linda Aronow
Punk never dies: celebrating the revolutionary art of an era
San Francisco’s Punk Pioneers
Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics 1976-1986
Related PDFs:
'Is There Anyone Out There?' Documenting Birmingham's Alternative Music Scene 1986-1990
Punk in the Provinces
