 Juergen Teller, All Rights Reserved.jpg)
Unless you have been living in a cultural vacuum, you have probably noticed the nostalgic 1990s revival that has been gripping the UK – and the wider world – over the past couple of years. It has infiltrated the fashion industry, where Calvin Klein slip dresses and Nike Air Max 90s are firmly back in style. It has taken over our TVs, with Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette, following the couple’s ill-fated 1990s romance, one of the most talked-about shows of the year so far.
Britpop has had a resurgence too, with this past year dominated by the return of Oasis, both through their record-breaking Live ’25 tour and the emergence of their 1995 classic Wonderwall as the England football team’s unofficial anthem at the recent World Cup. So, it’s hardly surprising that this seminal era is about to get its own exhibition at Tate Britain.
Curated by fashion industry gamechanger and former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, The 90s: Art and Fashion will be the first exhibition of its kind to explore the art, photography and fashion of the 1990s, a decade synonymous with possibility, optimism and an audacious spirit.
“The 1990s produced a cultural tidal wave that still ripples in Britain today,” says Celeste McEvoy, assistant curator of contemporary British art at Tate Britain. “Thirty years on, now is the perfect time to reflect on this art historical moment, into which some of Britain’s most celebrated artists and designers first emerged, who continue to influence contemporary art produced today.”
Naomi Campbell models Vivienne Westwood AW94 ‘On Liberty’, Image: Guy Marineau, Vogue Condé Nast
A resourceful new generation of young talent emerged in Britain during the 1990s. This was the time when the likes of Corinne Day, Nigel Shafran and Juergen Teller exploded on to the scene, defining a new “anti-fashion” grunge style with their evocative photographs published in The Face, i-D and Dazed & Confused. This was also the period when the Young British Artists rose to prominence, with artists including Sarah Lucas, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Gillian Wearing captivating audiences with their anarchic spirit.
“The 90s represents a fascinating moment before the internet redefined our world,” says McEvoy. “Today we are seeing a resurgence of analogue media such as film, photography and magazines, the original tools for expressing and disseminating style, before the rise of social media. Tate’s exhibition explores this shared DIY ethos that artists and designers alike embraced, capturing the energy of this effervescent moment.”
The exhibition will also shine a spotlight on those largely excluded from the era’s growing “Cool Britannia” influence. Steve McQueen’s first major film, Bear (1993), a cinematic portrayal of an intimate face-off between two men, will be joined by Chris Ofili’s Turner prize-winning painting No Woman, No Cry (1998), a moving tribute to Doreen and Stephen Lawrence. Meanwhile, suits by Ozwald Boateng, catwalk footage of Joe Casely-Hayford’s sartorial creations and fashion photography by Koto Bolofo will celebrate the work of black British designers.
Edward Enninful photographed by Adama Jalloh
The decade’s famously high-energy nightlife and club subculture will also be captured in film and photography from the time. “The room devoted to this is my highlight in the exhibition,” says McEvoy. “Expect to see photography capturing the drum and bass, jungle and rave scenes, with images encapsulating the energetic – and sometimes hedonistic – music scenes and clubs across the UK, as well as the quintessential 90s rave fashion. It’s going to be an exciting moment in the show to reflect on these important moments in British subculture featuring many iconic photographers of the decade, including Vinca Petersen, Eddie Otchere and Normski.”
Other highlights explore some of the era’s conceptual movements, from macabre body horror to sleek and uncanny minimalism. There are works by Helen Chadwick and Jake and Dinos Chapman, which explore a gothic interest in decay and revulsion, while pieces by Cerith Wyn Evans, Rachel Whiteread and Gary Hume experiment with pared-back forms.
Then there’s Damien Hirst, who revealed his first formaldehyde sculpture in 1991. Titled The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, the provocative work featured a 14-foot tiger shark preserved in a glass tank filled with formaldehyde and sold for a staggering $8 million.
