Enter the world of iconic British designer Dame Zandra Rhodes – who created a white pleated top for Freddie Mercury – as her exhibition soon arrives in Aberdeen.
Postponed due to Covid-19, Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous, will open at Aberdeen Art Gallery on Saturday November 27.
Originally scheduled to take place in Spring 2020, it promises to be “the largest ever exhibition dedicated to the British design legend”.
First launched in 2019 in celebration of 50 years of Zandra Rhodes’ label, the retrospective exhibition will highlight more than 50 key looks, as well as 30 original textiles.
Renowned for her outrageous aesthetic and fabulousness – something she shared with the late Freddie Mercury – Zandra also made replicas of the top for Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody which came out in 2018.
See fabulous works of Zandra Rhodes in Aberdeen
Presenting influential looks and featuring eye-catching frocks, the exhibition will be at Aberdeen Art Gallery from Saturday November 27 to Sunday March 20 2022. Tickets, which can be booked here, cost £9 and are free for under 12s.
In addition to Zandra’s exhibition, Aberdeen Art Gallery also announced a string of new art shows. The rich and varied programme not only celebrates iconic fashion, but also highlights the vitality of contemporary art, grass-roots textiles, Aberdeen’s proud tradition of social care, and remarkable Viking-age treasures.
Councillor Marie Boulton, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesperson, said: “Aberdeen Art Gallery has returned to seven-day-a-week opening, giving us all more opportunities to visit, explore, enjoy and be inspired by the unmissable programme of special exhibitions.
“From contemporary artists such as Zandra Rhodes, Kenny Hunter and Frances Walker, to Viking-age treasures from the Galloway Hoard, I welcome this rich and varied programme.”
New works by locally-based creative practitioners have been made possible by the Art Fund Museum of the Year award.
Marie added: “We’re thrilled to be marking major anniversaries for Voluntary Services Aberdeen and Aberdeen Stitch and Textile Group, as well as continuing our long-established relationships with Aberdeen Artists Society and Peacock Visual Arts.
“As society continues to open up in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, civic spaces such as Aberdeen Art Gallery are vitally important to our own personal wellbeing and to our city’s recovery. This exhibition programme gives us lots to look forward to in the coming months.”
Other exhibitions coming to Aberdeen Art Gallery
- Kenny Hunter: Sculpture Court (December 11)
Described as “provocation and a reflection on the role of public artforms”, the sculptor’ works are meant to be open to varied interpretation.
- Art Fund Museum of the Year Micro-commissions (December 18 – March 6)
An exhibition of new artworks commissioned by Aberdeen Art Gallery using the prize money from the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020 award. These micro-commissions are small-scale and fast-paced responses to the permanent collection by locally-based creative practitioners.
- Diamond Celebration: 60 Years of the Embroiderers’ Guild in Aberdeen (December 18 – February 27)
This exhibition celebrates the creativity and the skill of members of the Embroiderers’ Guild in Aberdeen which was set up in 1961.
- Aberdeen Cares: Celebrating 150 years of Voluntary Services Aberdeen (March 12 – May 29)
To mark the organisation’s 150th anniversary, this exhibition explores VSA’s role in the history of social care in Aberdeen and highlights the impact of human kindness.
- Frances Walker (March 19 – June 12)
Frances Walker’s exhibition features six new prints made by the creative at the print studio named in her honour at Peacock Visual Arts.
- Aberdeen Artists Society: Facing Forward (April 16 – July 3)
Aberdeen Artists Society, one of Scotland’s longest-established artist-led membership organisations, will showcase its members’ works.
- Galloway Hoard: Viking-age Treasure (July 30 – October 23)
The Galloway Hoard, discovered in 2014, is one of the most important UK archaeological finds of the century – the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland.
- Jerwood Art Fund Makers’ Open 2021 (November 19 – March 4 2023)
Five new commissions by Anna Berry, Cecilia Charlton, Jahday Ford, Vicky Higginson, Francisca Onumah and Helena Russell. Launched in 2010, Jerwood Art Fund Makers Open (formerly Jerwood Makers Open) supports UK-based artists and makers within one to 10 years of beginning their practice to develop their creative ideas.
All above exhibitions are free, with the exception of Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous.
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