NYC 1993: EXPERIMENTAL JET SET, TRASH AND NO STAR
Today the New Museum opens the much anticipated exhibition NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. Centering on 1993, the exhibition is conceived as a time capsule, an experiment in collective memory that attempts to capture a specific moment at the intersection of art, pop culture, and politics. The social and economic landscape of the early 90s was a cultural turning point both nationally and globally. Conflict in Europe, attempts at peace in the Middle East, the AIDS crisis, national debates on health care, gun control, and gay rights, and caustic partisan politics were both the background and source material for a number of younger artists who first came to prominence in 1993.
The name of the exhibition draws its subtitle from the album the New York rock band Sonic Youth recorded in 1993 and captures the complex exchange between mainstream and underground culture.
It is amazing to think that we are old enough to look back on history that we helped shape. The phrase “someday you’ll tell your children about this” never rang so true.
