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OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY MASAYOSHI SUKITA © SUKITA / THE DAVID BOWIE ARCHIVE While Ziggy Stardust bodysuits might seem more appropriate for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than an art museum, MCA chief curator Michael Darling notes, "This is one of several shows—like 'Skin Tight,' which was about fashion, and ['Bivouac,' devoted] to the Bouroullec brothers, the furni- ture designers—where the MCA steps outside of fine art and looks at broader contemporary culture. And if you think about our long-standing perfor- mance program and how theatrical Bowie is, and how he often collaborated with other artists in different disciplines, it does start to make a lot of sense that you would see this at the MCA." In today's amped up, ever-accelerating culture, reinven- tion is par for the course. But Bowie beat us to the punch long ago, morphing from one persona to another and adapting his distinctive sound along the way. He's taken cues from Surrealism, German Expressionism, commedia dell'arte, and Kabuki. He's channeled Anthony Newley, gone electronic, got funky, hip-hopped, and embraced an alt-rock vibe. "Change is his style," says Broackes. "He's the opposite of someone who finds a winning formula and then sticks to it. Bowie finds a winning formula and then does something else. That is his winning formula." While remaining ever-fresh certainly has played into his success, his changes seemed to signify more than mere business savvy. He picked William S. Burroughs's brain long before the transgressive writer earned cult status and was quick to grasp the combination of nuance and shock in the work of fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto. "He comes across as looking so far ahead of the curve," notes Darling. "I think it would be hard to find a fine-art equivalent in the 1970s of what he was doing then with Ziggy. Later, REBEL REBEL ROCK'S ULTIMATE CHAMELEON GETS THE MUCH-DESERVED MUSEUM TREATMENT WITH THE MCA'S EXCLUSIVE EXHIBITION "DAVID BOWIE IS." BY THOMAS CONNORS Plenty of rock stars like to imagine themselves as more than pop performers simply because they've been caught holding a book. But David Bowie—an art- ist whose fame makes his first name seem superf luous—has always demonstrated a deep interest in things beyond the big-arena spotlight: art, design, and theater. Studying with Lindsay Kemp, a dancer, mime, and chore- ographer (and fellow Brit), he developed a delight in movement and the avant-garde early on, and throughout his career he has demonstrated a highly keyed visual sense. A champion of spectacle, a master of the body as medium, and a risk-taker whose transgressive toying with sexual personae was both sly and incisive, Bowie built himself an unassailably individual realm in the rock world. Now, the Museum of Contemporary Art explores the performer's career and consciousness with an exhaustive survey show aptly titled "David Bowie Is." Organized by London's Victoria and Albert Museum (the MCA is the only US venue to present the show), "David Bowie Is" draws from the artist's own archive of more than 75,000 items, and features a dizzying array of material, including costumes, set designs, album art, and videos. From an early photo of the singer perched on a drum kit while wearing a suit to the tattered Union Jack coat that fashion designer Alexander McQueen designed for his Earthling album and tour, the exhibition offers an engaging and informative examination of Bowie's singular curiosity, creative collabora- tions, and media smarts. "He is a pioneer not only of music, but also of rock theater, videos, the Internet, and digital downloads," observes Victoria and Albert cocurator Victoria Broackes. "He always responds creatively to new technology and he is, and always has been, personally and actively in charge of what he creates." "BOWIE IS A PIONEER NOT ONLY OF MUSIC, BUT OF ROCK THEATER." — VICTORIA BROACKES CONTINUED ON PAGE 64 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 63

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