The 1980s: Image of a Decade

The 1980s were a time of bold exploration, dazzling creativity, inspiring unity―and stark division. Technology, media, gender roles, race, sexuality, geopolitics, climate, and even our place in the universe―you name it―the decade saw almost all aspects of humanity challenged, upturned, and reimagined. The 1980s: Image of a Decade tells this story in a wholly original and highly immersive way. By mixing and matching images of design, art, fashion, music, video games, sport, iconic photography, global events, and technological innovations in playful and often unexpected ways, it uncovers a fascinating ecosystem of influence between high and low culture that has shaped the world today.

These juxtapositions act like a perfectly curated mixtape. Skip forward from the bold and bizarro designs of the Memphis group to the backstreets of Madrid with its post-fascist counterculture movement La Movida Madrilena. Experience a new-look New York shaped by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Madonna, and peek inside hedonistic London clubs frequented by gay icons like Boy George. See how emerging tech and media companies like Apple and MTV sparked creative innovation and cultural anxieties, while in Japan Nintendo ushered in a new era of gaming with a pixelated plumber named Super Mario. Travel to the edge of our solar system with the Voyager probes before crashing back down to Earth to face the realities of Apartheid, AIDS, a catastrophic famine in Africa, and the constant threat of nuclear Armageddon.

From the global rise of hip hop and powerhouse women in arts and politics, to the collapse of the Berlin Wall and communism in Europe, The 1980s: Image of a Decade confronts humanity’s triumphs and tragedies to show how the clamor of cultural debate and existential fears can reach decibels that topple barriers and instigate meaningful change.

The past has never felt so current.