An exhibition review by Mr Aldred.

The Horror Show is an Art , Film & Fashion exhibition i’d been ‘dying’ to see ever see it was announced a year ago. it promised to delve into modern British Popular culture and view it through the lens of some of its most unsettling, controversial and reactionary art of the last 50 years.

After finally visiting on a cold weekend in January, It did not disappoint

Starting in early days of Punk in the 1970s, a decade ruled by David Bowie then travelling through the 80s and 90s the exhibition showcases extreme fashions, satirical and political poster graphics and gruesome latex 3D sculptures – all loosely based on the theme of ‘Monsters’.

I was very pleased to see a work by one of my favourite 3D artist collaborations The Chapman Brothers. Their work is often very dark and horrific, though the example here ‘Return of The Repressed’ made in 1997 is actually one of their least gruesome works:

Jake and Dinos Chapman, based in london often use childlike figures and miniature models scenes to explore dark themes, and often reference pop culture icons in their work. Their website is excellent and I do recommend checking it out, although be warned it does include some very challenging artwork.

The exhibition continued showing nightclub-like catwalks where extreme costumes were displayed against projections of British fashion & style from the 90s and 2000s:

The second section, titles ‘Ghosts’ featured an eclectic collection of installations and artifacts from a more digital age. This included props from film and television, and made reference to the supernatural TV shows Inside Number 9, Psychoville and Mark Gatiss’ ghost stories at Christmas, based on the stories of M R James.

Several excellent 3D installations were situated in this section, including the chilling , “The Boy From the Chemist is Here to See You” by Kerry Stewart. Its a simple effect, and the ‘boy’ itself is just a plastic charity mannequin, but I like the effect created by the thick glass in the door that gives the figure an unnerving distortion.

The last section ‘Witches’ was a far more emotive and spiritual collection of work that explores feminism, religion and the more paganistic themes of British culture.

I am a huge fan of British ‘Folk Horror’ and loved seeing the Spider puppet from ‘Possum’ and a signed script from The Wicker Man.

I was incredibly impressed by the work and artifacts on show, and I thought it was the perfect blend of similar supernatural themes all connected by a very eclectic collection of imagery both beautiful and grotesque. Unfortunately the show is due to close this month, but i can leave you with a video link to a brief tour: