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Graduates who shaped 90s culture in Tate exhibition

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The 90s: Art and Fashion is the new exhibition which opened at the Tate Britain last week, including work by influential Goldsmiths alumni who shaped 90s culture.

The exhibition is the first to explore the art, photography and fashion of the 1990s and features nearly 70 artists, photographers and designers. Drawing on the experiences of curator Edward Enninful OBE (former Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue), the exhibition seeks to spotlight a generation of audacious and diverse artistic talent that reshaped Britain’s cultural identity in the final years of the millennium. It opened on 8 October and runs until 14 February 2027.  

Two people standing in front of a wall where a black and white film is being projected showing two men wrestling.

The 90s: Art and Fashion at Tate Britain

Tate, Lucy Green

Goldsmiths graduates who shaped culture in the 90s 

Eleven Goldsmiths alumni's work is included in the buzz-generating exhibition, including artists associated with the Young British Artists (YBAs).  The featured graduates are: Hamad Butt, Jason Evans, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume, Roshini Kempadoo, Sarah Lucas, Sir Steve McQueen, Cathy de Monchaux, Yinka Shonibare, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Gillian Wearing.  

A still from a black and white film of two topless men standing opposite each other.

'Bear' 1993

Steve McQueen, Thomas Dane Gallery, Marian Goodman Gallery. Tate Collection.

The exhibition includes alumnus and Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen's first major film, 'Bear' (1993) - "a cinematic portrayal of an intimate faceoff between two men". Visitors can also see work by Hamad Butt, who responded to the ongoing impact of the AIDS crisis in his work, and Cathy de Monchaux, whose work deals with decay and revulsion.  

One of Damien Hirst's iconic formaldehyde-filled sculptures is also on show. Sam Taylor-Johnson and Sarah Lucas feature, with the exhibition acknowledging their "frank work tackling agency, identity and class." 

A photograph of a woman's lower torso and thighs wearing white knickers with a raw chicken placed on top.

Sarah Lucas, 'Chicken Knickers' 1997

Image courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London.

It also explores the 90s as a moment of transition, with Britian both looking back at its past and forward to its future. Works by artists who draw on European art history to ask questions about diversity and representation are shown, including Yinka Shonibare's work 'The Swing (after Fragonard)'. 

A sculpture of a headless, life-size mannequin on a rope swing wearing a dress made from colourful Dutch wax printed cotton textile surrounded by faux foliage.

Yinka Shonibare, 'The Swing (after Fragonard)' 2001

Yinka Shonibare. Tate.

Mona Hatoum, who became an Honorary Fellow of Goldsmiths in 2022 though she did not study here, is also included. Sam Taylor-Johnson, Yinka Shonibare, Gary Hume and Gillian Wearing are also Goldsmiths Honorary Fellows. 

Edward Enninful, who curated the exhibition, was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in 2018. He was briefly a student at Goldsmiths before being appointed i-D magazine’s youngest-ever fashion director at the age of just 18.  

Three women in the exhibition space looking at pieces of art. There are two sharks in clear blocks on a white metal circle, and photographs on the walls.

The 90s: Art and Fashion at Tate Britain

Tate, Lucy Green.

Cool Britannia: Goldsmiths makes its mark 

Our influence extends to music too, as Blur's Graham Coxon and Alex James met at Goldsmiths, going on to form one of the most well-known Britpop bands of the 90s, with Damon Albarn, who also studied at Goldsmiths part-time.  

Goldsmiths has a proud history of training artists who go on to shape society and culture far beyond campus.  At Goldsmiths, artists, thinkers and innovators come together across disciplines to challenge conventions, reimagine what is possible and shape a better world.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Joanna Newman MBE, FRSA

"We see the world differently – and it is that distinctive perspective, combined with the power of creativity and collaboration, that enables us not just to imagine change, but to make it happen," said Professor Joanna Newman MBE, FRSA, Vice-Chancellor.

Recently ranking in the top 10 in the UK for Art in both the Guardian University Guide and the Good University Guide, we look forward to seeing how our current students will make their mark as the leading artists of tomorrow.