The Delaware Art Museum is taking photography and fashion enthusiasts back to the 1980s with its latest exhibition.
“Fashion, Circus, Spectacle: Photographs by Scott Heiser,” on view through June 1, presents black-and-white prints and rarely seen color photographs by Heiser documenting the striking culture of art, fashion and photography in New York in the 1970s and ’80s. This is the first retrospective exhibition dedicated to Heiser, a Wilmington, Del., native who died at age 44 in 1993 from complications of AIDS.
“I think photography has broadened since he started making his works so his works look fresh and current, even thought the show is from the 1990s and fashions featured are from the 1980s,” said exhibition curator Heather Campbell Coyle. “The re-interest in that period helps in getting people interested. He worked mostly in black and white, and that loud, jarring 1980s look ends up becoming very timeless in his photographs. You might get a sense of ’80s silhouette but it doesn’t look like bubblegum, popcorn-bright colors. His color photographs are colorful but, even there, he has a great eye for composition that is timeless.”
Coyle said that, at first, she saw the exhibition as geared towards the interest of photographers but has found that it has piqued the interest of people, younger and older, who like the clothes of the era.
“It’s definitely brought some people in for fashion and interest the 1980s,” she said. “It’s surprising because the audience is skewing more female than I expected. We’ve definitely gotten photography people in but the fashion angle has brought people in. I think the decade you’re born in but didn’t get to participate in is always fascinating. You look at things from 20 or 30 years ago and they start to look interesting again.”
To accentuate the exhibition, the Delaware Art Museum is hosting an Art is After Dark event for the exhibition April 11 with live music and special performances by Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School.
“When they’ve come before they’ve come in vintage turn-of-the-century clothes,” Coyle said. “This time, they are going to be in 1980s outfits inspired by the show.”
Among the guest models is Corey Wade Hindorff, an openly gay Philadelphian who was a finalist on “America’s Next Top Model,” as well as burlesque performer Kiki Berlin.
“Fashion, Circus, Spectacle: Photographs by Scott Heiser” runs through June 1 and the Art is After Dark event runs from 6-10 p.m. April 11 at Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Pkwy, Wilmington, Del. For more information, call 302-351-8558 or visit www.delart.org.