Simply Madonna: Materials of the Girl

Billed on the invite as ‘the world’s largest collection of Madonna’s film and stage-worn clothing and artefacts’ and with tighter security than a US airport, I was getting excited about this one. I was only egged on further by taking a bona fide, card-carrying Madonna-mental fan along with me. And, as it turns out, it’s a good job I did…

The exhibition consists of various video and stage outfits and a shed-load of memorabilia, dutifully collected by super-fan James Harknett. The focus is supposed to be on the fashion items, and there are some really good pieces present, (the entire costume from the Music video, the iconic Material Girl dress and a whole host of conical bra’s and bustiers), but they’re not displayed in any sort of order or put into any kind of context. They’re just there. And unless each paying visitor is allocated their very own Madonna mental upon entry, you’re just not going to get much out of it.

Another criticism is the way in which the clothes are displayed: each item is worn by a bog-standard, shop-window dummy complete with cheap blonde wig. This is really off-putting as firstly, the weird faces lend a creepy Stepford Wives/Fembot vibe to the minimalist space and two, thanks to the lack of information it makes it even more difficult to work out which era these particular clothes belong to. Madonna is renowned for her constant re-invention of image and to gloss over her hairstyles and make-up, such a key part of each look, diminishes the impact of the costumes and really confused me.

The memorabilia collection is all crammed together in two glass cases, but was definitely my favourite part of the show. Partly because unlike the dresses, it was all collected by a fan and though bordering on the scary at times, (Madonna’s cut-up gold Amex card from the ’80s, clearly fished from a bin being a prime example), this absurd dedication is strangely impressive.

My friend loved the whole thing. And I think most Madonna fans would feel the same way. I enjoyed it too, but if I hadn’t had someone to explain the exhibits to me and if I’d had to pay the £9.50 entry fee, I would probably have left feeling a little disappointed. There are certainly some pieces worth looking at and the memorabilia collection is fascinating, but personally, for £10 I would expect to see virtually all the iconic outfits under one roof, and with this exhibition there is the distinct feeling that what’s included is simply what they could get hold of.

Simply Madonna: Materials of the Girl runs until March 22, 9.30am to 6.30pm daily

The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
E1 6QL

Adults: £9.50
Students and Children (under 16): £7.50
Children under 8: Free