As part of their Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, the Australian Centre for the Moving Images will present David Bowie Is (16 July – 1 November), a once in a lifetime exhibition charting the legacy of the iconic artist.
David Bowie Is was created by the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, where it premiered in March 2013. It quickly became the V&A’s fastest selling exhibition and is on record as one of its most popular shows, drawing over 850,000 visitors to date, and widespread critical acclaim. Now, in its only Australasian season, David Bowie is will take Melbourne by storm.
The V&A’s curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, from the Museum’s Department of Theatre and Performance, selected more than 300 objects and films for the show. Of the exhibition they said; “The exhibition looks in-depth at how Bowie’s music and radical individualism has both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design, film and contemporary popular culture over an incredible 50-year career and demonstrates how Bowie has inspired others to challenge convention and pursue freedom of expression.”
On display are more than 50 stage costumes including Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972) designed by Freddie Burretti, Kansai Yamamoto’s flamboyant creations for the Aladdin Sane tour (1973), and the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover (1997). Bowie’s fruitful experimental period in Berlin between 1977 and 1979 is also explored through a series of pioneering records he produced known as the Berlin Trilogy, including the creation of the stylish Thin White Duke persona identified with the Station to Station album and tour (1976).
More personal items such as never-before-seen storyboards, handwritten set lists and lyrics are also featured in the exhibition as well as some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores and diary entries, revealing the evolution of his creative ideas.
Excerpts from Bowie’s on-screen performances in films will be shown and an area has been dedicated to the monochrome theatricality of Bowie’s Berlin period and the creation of the stylish Thin White Duke persona identified with the Station to Station album and tour (1976). It also investigates the series of experimental and pioneering records he produced between 1977 and 1979 whilst living in Germany, known as the Berlin Trilogy.
Finally, David Bowie is features a display of striking performance and fashion photography taken by photographers including Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts and John Rowlands.
David Bowie is runs from 16 July – 1 November at ACMi. Book now acmi.net.au/bowie