The Alternative Decade - upcoming exhibition Spring / Summer 2026
“Eighties Remixed : The Alternative Decade” is a proposed large-scale exhibition which will be held at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery in the spring and summer of 2026. The Social Gallery team are currently developing the project, consulting with partners and participants and approaching funders and sponsors for support.
Subject to securing the funding needed, Eighties Remixed will follow-on from the punk exhibition, and explore the diverse expressions of rebellion, creativity, and identity that flourished against the backdrop of socio-political upheaval. It won’t be your typical stroll down memory lane, but a kaleidoscopic journey through the vibrant tapestry of youth subcultures that defined the 1980s.
The main gallery will feature a spectrum of subcultures which coexisted during the 1980s including New Romantics, Goth, Mod Revival/Two Tone/Skinheads, Grebo, Casuals, Hip Hop and the start of the Rave Scene. The exhibition will also feature stalwart venues and events that supported the local music and culturalscene including Helsinki, The Abbey Park Festival, 5HQ and The Caribbean Carnival.
This mix of alternative subcultures will revolve around a mainstream pop centrepiece which will highlight the decade’s technological advancements which saw an explosion in pop and electronic music, Walkmans, CDs and a new cultural force; the MTV generation. A spin-off exhibition in a new gallery space in the ground floor of the museum will feature the rave scene, which flourished in the late eighties.
In stark contrast, some powerful social issues will be featured throughout, including the AIDS crisis and Section 28, and we’ll explore how this affected young LGBTQ+ people.
Through immersive installations, archival artefacts, and multimedia experiences, visitors will encounter the sights, sounds, and stories of a decade transformed by bold experimentation and cultural remixing. Join us as we rewind the tape and rediscover the alternative spirit of the eighties.
