Glitter Meets Resistance: Susanne Bartsch’s Radical Aesthetic on Show in Zürich
The exhibition 'Susanne Bartsch – Transformation!' introduces the visionary world of Susanne Bartsch, a style icon and the mind behind some of New York’s most legendary events over the past four decades.
With roots in 1970s London counterculture, Punk, and the New Romantic movement, Bartsch has championed diversity in New York since the 1980s. The exhibition explores how she uses hedonism as a creative strategy to break boundaries, challenge norms, and promote inclusivity in fashion and art. For the first time in Switzerland, the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich presents a broad overview of her work, showing its lasting relevance and cultural impact.
Highlighting Bartsch’s interdisciplinary approach, the show portrays her as a cultural catalyst in the fashion world. After leaving Switzerland at 17, she discovered her love for fashion and music in London, before moving to New York in 1981. There, she opened a boutique featuring young British designers like Vivienne Westwood, Leigh Bowery, and John Galliano. Soon, she began organizing parties that became cultural landmarks—spaces of creativity and community. As creator, muse, and performer, Bartsch collaborates with international artists, merging fashion, cabaret, and performance into the hybrid events known as Bartschland.
Welcome! Organized into six chapters that mirror the flow of a party night, the exhibition explores artistic expression through attire, sentiment, environment, and community. Visitors are welcomed by Susanne Bartsch herself in a life-sized video introduction.
Hair and Make up - The journey begins with the art of transformation. Bartsch’s collaborations with makeup and hair artists demonstrate how face and hair become tools of self-expression. Makeup becomes a mask, wigs become sculptures. These transformations question conventional beauty standards and invite viewers to rethink identity through styling.
Getting Ready - Visitors encounter a curated group of Bartsch’s collaborators, each reflecting a unique subcultural aesthetic—from Baroque to Cyber-Goth to anime drag. These looks are the result of meticulous design and craftsmanship, forming a typology of transformation across artistic scenes.
Queuing - In a segment themed around waiting in line for the club, nine Swiss creatives present imaginative underground fashion looks, selected via social media. These pieces challenge the mass fashion industry with DIY spirit and rebellious energy. Drawing from subcultures such as gaming, gothic, and rave, the designs use unconventional materials and reassembled forms to express individual identity.
The Club - At the core of the exhibition is the Club—a vibrant space showcasing around 35 of Bartsch’s most iconic outfits. This section embodies her love of dressing up, transformation, and creating inclusive environments. Her aesthetic legacy continues to inspire artists and celebrities like Madonna, Thierry Mugler, Björk, and Lady Gaga.
Lounge - The Lounge offers a space to slow down and reflect. Here, video footage documents Bartsch’s advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community and her fundraising efforts during the AIDS crisis, including the legendary 1989 Love Ball. Also on view are publications such as the 2015 exhibition catalogue from the Fashion Institute of Technology, the 2018 documentary Susanne Bartsch: On Top, and her 2024 photo book Bartschland, published after receiving the Grand Prix Design from the Swiss Federal Office of Culture in 2022.
Timeline - A large wall installation traces Bartsch’s journey from her Swiss childhood to major cultural moments: London’s fashion scene, New York’s clubs of the 1980s, ballroom culture, voguing, the AIDS crisis, the rise of social media, and beyond. This immersive timeline provides a broader context for her life’s work and her continued presence in the cultural scene—anchored by her long-time home at the iconic Chelsea Hotel.
The glamorous opening was photographed by Samir Seghrouchni for the Museum für Gestaltung.
Susanne Bartsch – Transformation! . From June 20, 2025, at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich . Opening Reception: Thursday, June 19, 2025 . Curator: Meret Ernst, Curator, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich . Co-Curators: Susanne Bartsch, Waleed Khairzada
CREDITS
Artist © Susanne Bartsch / Museum für Gestaltung Zürich
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