I am sitting on a rhinestone-encrusted pew, my feet resting on a furry leopard print rug. I’m looking at an altar that’s decorated with bedazzled condoms, votive candles and a photograph of a tree in Hampstead Heath emblazoned with the words ‘Take me to the f*ck tree’. I haven’t joined some strange new sect of Catholicism – I’m actually looking at a shrine dedicated to the late George Michael.
Reliquaries devoted to Prince, Dolly Parton and the Spice Girls; home videos of pilgrimages to Andy Warhol’s grave; and a piece of gum chewed by Nina Simone are just some of the things you can see at Somerset House’s new exhibition Holy Pop!, which explores the excesses of fan culture through photos, artworks, videos and memorabilia.
The free exhibition interrogates what it means to be a fan in our modern, secular world, and makes the case that a steadfast devotion to artists, musicians and celebrities is a contemporary type of spirituality. The show is an ode to anyone who has run a Tumblr dedicated to Lana Del Rey, has a room full of Marvel memorabilia at home, or harbours an immoderate obsession with anime.
An installation that could easily be construed as creepy has a profound effect.
This melange of objects and artworks under an umbrella theme is typical of Somerset House exhibitions, which have previously explored the grand themes of soil and cuteness. As well as the various real fan shrines, highlights include a number of vibrant and camp artworks. There’s an original commission by artist duo Athen and Nina, whose hyper girly installation sticks VHS boxes of Sex and the City, A Star is Born and Show Boat in the wall over a life-sized cartoon figure of a Bollywood ‘dream girl’. Photographer Hayley Louisa Brown contributes dreamy, Americana-drenched photos of Elvis pilgrimages to Graceland, and a kooky neon-emblazoned ceramic goblet by Connor Colston features ceramic hearts with photos of Britney Spears pasted over the top, and metal snakes coiling around its base (inspired by the I'm a Slave 4 U music video). It looks like it was created by a teenager – it’s charming, sincere and a little bit chaotic.
The final gallery is solely dedicated to the aforementioned piece of gum chewed by Simone. In the dark room it becomes a talisman, sitting on a black velvet cushion encased in a glass box. The installation was created by musician Warren Ellis (of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) – he retrieved the morsel from the stage of the Royal Festival Hall in 1999. At the time, he didn’t know it would be Simone’s final London appearance. The installation that could easily be construed as creepy, or even laughable, manages to have a profound effect.
The focus on religion is heavy-handed at times – perhaps loving the Spice Girls or Elvis is just not that deep? – and it feels remiss for the exhibition not to question what happens when these obsessions go too far, if they are always healthy, or if idolising celebrities should be seen as a blanket positive thing. Still, Holy Pop! is a joyous celebration of pop culture fandoms, and all their quirky, messy extremes.
