In the Milan exhibition ‘Miranda July: New Society’ at Fondazione Prada, there is a short blond wig hung up on the wall, which July bought when she was a struggling artist working as a stripper for extra money in her twenties. There’s no mention of it, but it is displayed as one of the costumes from her performance Love Diamond. However, that object’s journey from a peep show in 1990s Portland, Oregon, to a major solo exhibition in Milan feels like a fitting microcosm of the show.
That’s not just because ‘New Society’ charts 30 years of July’s career, from her early days in the West Coast punk scene and ending with her latest works, made as an acclaimed artist whose work spans performances, videos, installations, major motion pictures and novels. But also because July’s work has always explored the unpredictable, strange, joyous and heartbreaking turns life can take.
