While artists have long worked at the intersection of theatre, fashion, performance, activism and film, to name a few mediums, it’s a cultural shapeshifting that is often sidestepped by the traditional exhibition format. Recently, however, as fluidity is increasingly celebrated, institutions and spaces are unveiling the chameleonic nature of the artist, something the Tate Modern has demonstrated to brilliant effect with its programming in 2024 and 2025.
Recent exhibitions, such as last year’s ‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind’, the current ‘Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit’, and the upcoming ‘Leigh Bowery!’, have included works across a broader context. Three different artists working in three different mediums, Ono, Kelley and Bowery are united by their fascination with other worlds beyond the narrow confines of art, which take shape in their work through ritual and conversation. Specifically, threads are woven together through the lens of music, which also becomes a way of connecting the community.
