The 90s: Icons that defined a decade
Juergen Teller, Stella McCartney, Damien Hirst, Steve McQueen and more share their memories of the era
Juergen Teller on his photo Pink Kate Moss
asserted
Teller → define → photo
“In the 1990s things were very slow and we were poor, but we were honest and we had fun.
asserted
we → have → fun
Kate asked me to photograph her with the pink hair.
asserted
Kate → ask → hair
We were taking the series of photographs for ourselves, not for any other reason.
asserted
We → take → reason
We liked each other and we wanted to work together.”
asserted
we → like → other
Eddie Otchere on his photo of Goldie
“In late 1995 Goldie wanted to insulate and incubate a sound built around the talents of a new group of producers, artists and DJs who had championed the jungle sound.
asserted
who → want → sound
Heralded by Kemistry & Storm, their Metalheadz label and the Sunday Sessions, they took jungle music and threw it into the future.
asserted
they → herald → future
In this picture you see Goldie is screaming for the rewind.
asserted
Goldie → see → rewind
This happened moments after the first bass drops in J. Majik’s Your Sound record.
asserted
This → happen → record
I could hear him screaming and tearing towards the DJ booth to tell Grooverider to rewind that tune and play it again.
uncertain
him → hear → it
Before the 1990s, the contemporary art scene in London was limited to a few galleries that would operate by taking on a new artist once a year or so.
asserted
that → limit → artist
They had the authority — and they could be quite stuffy with it.
uncertain
they → have → it
But in the 1990s a bunch of artists emerging from colleges began organising their own exhibitions in abandoned buildings or places with short leases, without influence from these leading galleries.
asserted
bunch → emerge → galleries
It was still a small crowd and if you went to an opening everyone would be there and would end up in the same places afterwards.
asserted
everyone → go → places
“The Shop on Bethnal Green Road, which Tracey Emin and I opened in 1992, was a real part of this.
asserted
Emin → open → this
More and more artists started turning up to see us and what we were doing, creating a real sense of community.
asserted
we → turn → community
Every time we’d go to a private view we’d hand out business cards with the address on, handwritten by Tracey with slogans like, “Have you seen that shop?”
asserted
you → go → shop
“These artist-instigated shows and situations started to get beer sponsorship, sometimes spirits even.
asserted
shows → instigate → sponsorship
This helped to grow audiences.
asserted
This → help → audiences
It was a buoyant scene kept up by the enthusiasm of many young people.
asserted
It → keep → people
It wasn’t about shoving art down people’s throats, they were really interested.
asserted
they → shove → throats
The explosion of our generation had a lot to do with having a party and the mentality of that.
asserted
explosion → have → that
There was a period of time when it felt like the whole world was coming to our circus.
asserted
world → be → circus
It was one of those moments when you met a lot of people and you didn’t know it but they were going to be a big part of your life later on.
asserted
they → meet → life
To spend an hour or two with anyone from that time was a great pleasure.
asserted
spend → spend → time
Nick Knight on his photo of David Toole
“This picture is from a series taken in 1997.
asserted
picture → take → 1997
It was the first time that people of different physical abilities and body shapes had been shown within the aspirational codes and language of fashion photography.
asserted
people → show → photography
It was taken before the internet was accessible, so there was absolutely no social media.
asserted
internet → take → ?
At the time, my photographs would be published in magazines, record sleeves or on billboards, but there
asserted
photographs → publish → billboards
As an artist, this is frustrating and gives a sort of sense of detachment and to some degree loneliness — imagine a singer always performing in an empty stadium.
asserted
singer → give → stadium
So I welcome social media and the ability to talk and have a conversation directly with your audience.
asserted
I → welcome → audience
“However, for this picture and the whole series, I would receive letters, physical letters, faxes and phone calls virtually every day for about a year from the moment that story was published.
asserted
story → receive → moment
The requests were often asking to use the pictures in a magazine or academic periodical or in a book, but this feedback went on virtually every day for almost a complete year since the publication of the pictures.
asserted
feedback → ask → pictures
So it felt, in a real tangible sense, that we were in touch with our audience.
asserted
we → feel → audience
It’s one of the reasons I started SHOWstudio three years later, to have that relationship with my audience.”
asserted
I → ’ → audience
Damien Hirst on Two Similar Swimming Forms in Endless Motion
“I remember an interviewer at the time asking me in a negative way, ‘Aren’t you trying to make three-dimensional versions of Francis Bacon paintings?’
asserted
you → remember → paintings
And I remember saying, ‘Yeah, that’s sometimes exactly what I’m trying to do.
asserted
I → say → what
I couldn’t see it as negative.
asserted
I → see → it
A 3D version of a painting can be a powerful thing if you can keep the things that made the painting powerful intact.
asserted
painting → keep → things
A few years later a letter came out where Bacon spoke about some of my works directly and how they moved him.
asserted
they → come → him
…and 39 more, not listed.
The Aporia
