UNPOPULAR a major exhibition featuring the never-before-seen archive of music entrepreneur Stephen ‘Pav’ Pavlovic
The Powerhouse today announced UNPOPULAR , a major exhibition featuring the never-before-seen archive of music entrepreneur Stephen ‘Pav’ Pavlovic. The exhibition explores the global rise of the alternative music scene and how he played a key role in shaping, documenting, and promoting the cornerstone bands of the time such as Nirvana, Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Fugazi and Bikini Kill.
Opening to the public on Thursday 27 October, UNPOPULAR features more than 200 pieces of personal and priceless items from Pav’s collection, alongside stories and oral histories from the community of artists he worked with, bringing visitors backstage and behind the scenes of this era of live music.
Pavlovic began his career promoting shows, music tours and festivals at 19, making his name bringing ground-breaking international musicians to Australia, including the first and only Australian tour for Nirvana, one of the most influential bands in music history.
In 1995 Pavlovic staged the hugely significant Summersault Festival across five Australian cities, shaping an era-defining bill that included Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Beck, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid,Jawbreaker, Bikini Kill and The Amps. Realising Summersault could celebrate the emerging cultural movement through avenues beyond the music festival, Pavlovic engaged Aaron Rose of Alleged Gallery in New York to curate an art exhibition titled ‘Culture is Our Business’ that toured in parallel with the music and showcased work by emerging artists such as Spike Jonze, Mike Mills and Rita Ackermann.
‘Summersault brought a complete lifestyle to accompany the music. There was art for your eyes, streetwear for your back. A club night party or mega-festival performance. There was no music-genre tribalism. It was just either cool or not. Many of the artists were at the peak of their powers, little did we know that it was the beginning of the end of what was an exceptional period in music.’ said Pavlovic.
As the Creative Director of Unpopular, Pavlovic has worked alongside Powerhouse curators, and renowned designer, Alice Babidge, to develop the exhibition. Original objects on display from Pavlovic’s extensive archive include photographs, posters, graphic art, fanzines, tour itineraries, setlists, and personal handwritten letters and postcards. Unseen video footage and unheard music demos and live audio recordings will provide a dynamic audio-visual experience.
An exhibition highlight is a spotlight on Nirvana, featuring live footage of the band’s first performance in Australia at the Phoenician Club in Sydney in 1992 and Kurt Cobain’s Martin Guitar (on loan from Peter Freedman, founder of RØDE), played during his 1993 MTV Unplugged performance in New York, now holding the record for the most expensive guitar in the world.
‘Nirvana were only just pricking the ears of people who could sense this young, largely unknown act could set the table of rock music culture for the next decade. When Dan Peters from Mudhoney suggested I get in touch with Kurt and Krist, I didn’t think that 30 years later I’d have to be wearing white gloves to handle a concert ledger, to hang in the Powerhouse,’ said Pavlovic
Other international bands that Pavlovic brought to Australia featured in the exhibition include the likes of Fugazi, Hole, The Lemonheads, Mudhoney, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Helmet and many more.
A series of interviews between Pavlovic and music greats such as Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Ian MacKaye (Fugazi), Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill), Mike D and Ad-Rock (Beastie Boys), Melissa Auf Der Maur (Hole) and Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), will reflect on the bands’ tours to Australia. Audiences will encounter these oral histories throughout the exhibition.
‘We came down here because the opportunity was beyond imaginable in a way… it was, oh my god, now were gonna go to the other side of the hemisphere to play music. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would be possible. [...] this place was a mystery to us. We had no idea what to expect. We did love bands from Australia and there was some sort of Seattle-Australia connection,’ said Dave Grohl, drummer of Nirvana / founder of Foo Fighters.
The archive includes works created by Pavlovic’s collaborators including graphic designers Ben Brown, Cathie Glasby, Paul McNeil and Paul Curtis and photographers Sophie Howarth, Neil Wallace, and Piet Weinman.
Artist Lillian O’Neil and artist and filmmaker Julian Klincewicz were invited by Pavlovic to re-
interpret the archive material and have created major new works for the exhibition.
‘UNPOPULAR looks back at an extraordinary time for live music through the lens of Stephen Pavlovic, telling the story of the international and homegrown musicians and communities that drove the thriving Australian alternative music scene of the 1990s. Pav was there in it all and we are so thankful that he created this important archive that connects us with a time of great creativity,’ said Lisa Havilah, Powerhouse Chief Executive.
To accompany the show, the Powerhouse will be releasing UNPOPULAR the book, written by Pav and offering diary-like insights into the bands, shows, and everything in between as alternative music moved out of the fringes and into the mainstream.
Alongside the exhibition and book, the Powerhouse will present a series of programs including UNFOCUSED: a music photography masterclass with Sophie Howarth, UNCENSORED: a Film program screening documentaries that pay homage to the key rock bands of the periods, and UNPRODUCTIVE: An Analogue art workshops with graphic designers Ben Brown and Paul Curtis.
UNPOPULAR represents the first Chapter in a forthcoming series of projects that reflects the lived experience of music Entrepreneur Stephen Pavlovic. Stay tuned …
UNPOPULAR is presented with the support of Major Partner JBL Harman.
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For publicity enquires please contact Jo Wilson @ Mad Dog Publicity
[e]jo@maddogpublicity.com.au[Mob] +61 414 316 044