Transformer: Aspects of Travesty @ Rirchard Saltoun

“Transformer: Aspects of Travesty” is back 40 years after its original exhibition curated by Jean-Christophe Ammann opened back in 1974 @ the Swiss centre Kunstmuseum Luzern attempting to  explore the aesthetics of desire and sexuality through travesty and drag performance.

This time, London´s Richard Saltoun is bringing works from all the artists which featured in the original expo from Pierre Moliner to Andy Warhol.

Transformer looks back at the ’70s contemporary society and art practice, considering the aspects of transvestism and sexual self-reflection in art. The exhibition takes its title from the seminal 1972 album by recently deceased ex-Velvet Underground star Lou Reed (and in particular referencing the song Walk on the Wild Side), finding its parallel in the worlds of fashion and glam-rock. Transformer examines the politics and aesthetics of transgressing identity and at the disruptive sexualisation of masculinity by incorporating characters usually labelled as ‘feminine’, as Brian Eno reflected with a text written for the original catalogue.

The exhibition was an extraordinary cultural event: the opening was recorded by Swiss TV and it toured later to Germany and Austria. Whilst the exhibition received no publicity in the UK, it has been influential for art theory and history, since it was the first occasion that sought to theorise transvestism and which explored non-normative sexualities and the production of identity.

The exhibition at Richard Saltoun Gallery will contain the sexually explicit content of the exhibition and show the lesser-known artists originally included. A series of events, to include screenings, along with talks and performances, will be announced nearer the time.

Transformer: Aspects on Travesty runs until February 28th. More info this way.