The 90s: Art and Fashion

A new exhibition at the Tate Britain places the 1990s centre stage. Curated by Edward Enniful, former British Vogue editor and posterboy of the 90s, the show spans art, photography and fashion, with nearly 70 artists. In scale alone it is no small feat: Sarah Lucas features prominently, as does Alexander McQueen, with each room platforming themes such as body horror, tailoring or illegal raves. There are runway looks from Vivienne Westwood, sharks from Damien Hirst, Juergen Teller’s iconic go-sees and Mark Leckey’s Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore. In short, for well-studied fans of 90s fashion or the YBAs, the exhibition is something of a perfect pick and mix. 

But by no means does The 90s offer a comprehensive guide to the decade – more obvious topics, such as Britpop, are entirely neglected – though nor does it necessarily claim to. But passing from room to room teeters on a form of whiplash: the flippant austerity of Wolfgang Tillmans or Juergen Teller comes up stark against a room documenting dance music and rave culture, and then loses the thread with the enormous reproduction of Sean Ellis’s LARPy photo series, The Dark Night Returns.

It’s easy to see how The 90s serves as a follow-up to Tate’s 2024-5 show, The 80s: Photographing Britain, though it lacks the political and historical contextualising which made the former so compelling. Without this structure underpinning it, the disparate themes and glut of names on display begins to feel random and overwhelming. Enniful, who found himself at the fore of these art and fashion movements in the 90s, evidently knows his stuff and wants to assume the visitor does too, but struggles to curate his expansive knowledge into a coherent, digestible world. 

That’s not to say that the exhibition is not full of charming or intriguing moments. The final room poses the question of post-colonialism and national mythology, as British artists and designers grappled with the incoming millennium. Yinka Shonibare’s photographs staging him as a nineteenth century Black dandy complement Maud Sulter’s interpretations of historical portraiture, and sit right at home with Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano’s romantic, anachronistic designs – some of the most memorable fashion moments of the 90s. 

Though chaotic at times, the exhibition ultimately captures the vibrant and diverse spirit of the decade. The 90s: Art and Fashion is open from the 8th of October to the 14th of February at the Tate Britain, Millbank.