This is an exhibition stemming from the legacy of the sound systems that put on illegal raves in the UK and across Europe in the 1990s. It is a document of the people, creativity and alternative way of living of a very underground scene.
The free party movement emerged as a rebellion against the over-commercialization of Acid House that had developed in the UK at the time.
When Seana Gavin became part of this subculture as an underage teenager, it was the year after the iconic Castlemorton festival – a week-long free unlicensed rave which took place in the British countryside. Before the days of mobile phones, between 20,000 and 50,000 people came together by word of mouth. It was shut down by the police and later inspired the legislation that became ‘The Criminal Justice Act’.
Gavin was heavily involved in this scene for a decade from 1993-2003. She spent long periods of time travelling in friends’ mobile homes, in convoy with the sound systems, living in nomadic communities, and attending raves and parties in France, Spain, Holland, Italy, Berlin, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
The exhibition includes Gavin’s personal documentation including flyers, ephemera, diary entries and a large body of photographs that capture the build-up and aftermath of the raves across Europe alongside the characters and friends who defined this scene. The show demonstrates its ethos of community and freedom.
It was more than just a night out. I wasn’t a photographer or journalist I was part of this world and these people were my family. We were unmaterialistic and survived with minimal funds without limitations.
Seana Gavin
Seana Gavin, Hidden Tracks: A decade of free parties, April 10th – April 28th, GALLERY 46
About the artist
Seana Gavin, a graduate of Camberwell College of Art, had solo exhibitions at galeriepcp, Paris (2019), Celestine Eleven, London (2014) and the B Store on Savile Row, London (2011). Her work has been included in group exhibitions at international art galleries and institutions including The Nobel Prize Museum, Somerset House, Fundacao de Serralves, The Walker Art Gallery, the Wellcome Collection, New York’s The Hole and at ‘Sweet Harmony: Rave today’ at the Saatchi Gallery in 2019.
She has collaborated with brands such as Farfetch, Miharayasuhiro , Kilometre Paris, Adidas, Bodyshop and La Prairie. Her work has been included in publications such as Elephant Magazine, Financial Times HTSI, Twin, Wonderland, Dazed & Confused, Sleek, Vanity Fair France, and online at NY Times, i-D, The Face, 032c, Frieze and Anothermag.
Gavin’s photography monograph ‘Spiralled’ was published by IDEA books in 2020, which was selected as ‘Work of the Week’ by Art Review. Her artwork features in the permanent collection of the Soho House Group on display at their clubs in London, Amsterdam, Miami and Chicago. A profile of her work has been included in ‘The Age of Collage 3’, published by Gestalten (2020). She is also the author of the forward to Mark Angelo Harrison’s document of Spiral Tribe, ‘A Darker Electricity’ published in 2023. @seanagavin
