Punk never dies in Torn Apart: Punk + New Wave Graphics, Fashion and Culture, 1976-86, the current exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art’s (OMA) Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Brooker Sr. Grand Gallery. Running now through Jan. 5, 2025, the show is co-curated by School of Art faculty Michael Worthington and OMA Chief Curator Coralie Claeysen-Gleyzon.
In 2022, an earlier version of the show ran at the PDC Design Gallery at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California. This third and, per Worthington, “greatly expanded” version of the show, also includes a separate gallery of photography by Sheila Rock.
More about Torn Apart from OMA:
One of the most comprehensive punk exhibitions to date, Torn Apart highlights the brilliant designs of the era and the designers who created them. Graphic design and music in the punk era were closely fused; designs in print were the public face of the music, with the visual often as important as the music itself. The exhibition includes iconic works by Jamie Reid (Sex Pistols), Peter Saville (New Order/Joy Division), Raymond Pettibon (Black Flag), and Barney Bubbles (Elvis Costello). On view are approximately 400 posters, 200 flyers, 400 pieces of ephemera (zines, clothing, buttons, stickers, etc.), over 30 garments, and 30 photographs by Sheila Rock.
In addition to designing the show and its accompanying graphics, Worthington edited, designed, and published a 260-page exhibition catalog. The softcover book includes graphic works from the exhibition, as well as a selection of photography by Rock and short essays by Rock, Coralie Claeysen-Gleyzon, Worthington, Malcolm Garrett, Peter Silverton, and Andrew Krivine. Purchase the volume at OMA.
