Bold, unapologetic, revolutionary: 90s Britain as you've never seen it before showcased in landmark Tate exhibition

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The 90s: a decade synonymous with possibility, optimism, a surge of creative energy and an audacious spirit. This autumn, Tate Britain will stage the first exhibition to explore the art, photography and fashion of the 90s. The exhibition will bring together over 100 photographs, paintings, sculptures and garments to re-evaluate, rethink and reflect on one of the most transformative moments in British art.

The exhibition will run at Tate Britain from 8 October 2026 – 14 February 2027 and feature almost 70 artists, photographers and designers, ranging from the Young British Artists (YBAs) to Alexander McQueen. It will spotlight the emergence of exciting and diverse artistic talent that reshaped Britain’s cultural identity and also draws on the experience of curator, ex-Vogue editor Edward Enninful OBE.

Following the gritty economic uncertainty of the 1980s, the 1990s saw the emergence of a resourceful new generation of young talent in Britain. The exhibition will explore their taste for imperfection and realness with a Do-It-Yourself attitude. The exhibition will cover conceptual movements, from opulent and macabre body horror to sleek and uncanny minimalism, past and future technology, questions of diversity and representation, and the dual feelings of optimism and anxiety induced by the impending millennium.

Corinne Day,
England's Dreaming, The Face, August
1993 © Corinne Day
Estate. — Corinne Day, England’s Dreaming, The Face, August 1993 © Corinne Day Estate.

Photography is represented through the likes of Corinne Day, Nigel Shafran and Juergen Teller, who were at the forefront of defining a new ‘anti-fashion’ grunge style. Youthful attitude, nightlife and subculture as documented by Dave Swindells, Peter J Walsh, and Tony Davis. Normski, Eddie Otchere and Ewen Spencer follow the rise of jungle, hip-hop and drum and bass scenes; joyful queer club nights are captured by Poulomi Desai, Stuart Linden Rhodes and Jon Shard; and raves and free parties photographed by Seana Gavin and Vinca Peterson. Plus, Elaine Constantine’s Burn up Northampton series that documented Boy Racers and fashion photography by Koto Bolofo celebrates the work of Black British designers.

Eddie Otchere,
Metalheadz Sunday Sessions in the Blue Note, Hoxton
Square
1995
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1996 © Eddie Otcher — Eddie Otchere, Metalheadz Sunday Sessions in the Blue Note, Hoxton Square 1995 – 1996 © Eddie Otcher

Barbara Walker, Jenny Saville, Gillian Wearing, Tracey Emin, Sam Taylor‑Johnson and Sarah Lucas are among the trail-blazing women represented; captivating the public with their anarchic spirit and work that tackles agency, identity and class.

Film including Sir Steve McQueen’s first major film Bear 1993 will collide with Chris Ofili’s Turner Prize-winning painting No Woman, No Cry 1998 and fashion style interrogated by Vivienne Westwood. The influence of print media and the expansion of mainstream beauty notions, at a time when Kate Moss wearing Liza Bruce’s sheer slip dress captured tabloid interest, will also be covered alongside sport and national identity.