Independent Music in Photographs, 1990 – 2025
Consisting of approximately 90 images, this exhibition for the first time publicly presented a personal treasury of never-before-seen photos by Chris Williams, documenting concerts of alternative and experimental music over more than 35 years.
Rendered in atmospheric black and white, the images capture the violent energy of 1990s New York City hardcore in punk clubs CBGB and ABC No Rio, passionate performances by US 1990s indie legends like Guided By Voices, Mission of Burma, and The Jesus Lizard, up through moments of concentrated tape flutter and knob twiddling from the present-day European avant-garde. Spanning time, space, and genre, the photographs celebrate underground artists who have pushed the boundaries of popular music and locations that have served as gathering points for dynamic DIY communities.
“The Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm” ran from May 15 to 30, 2026 at Atelier 104a in Stuttgart, Germany. In addition to a vernissage, finissage, and other open visiting hours, it featured a listening session in which Chris provided a personal history of independent music and played recordings of some of the artists documented in the exhibition. On a monitor, visitors could also watch videos of the very same concerts captured in some of the photographs. Created by others and posted to YouTube, the videos provide complementary evidence alongside the still images.
Photozine available
A limited edition, 52-page photozine containing a selection of the exhibited images was also produced in conjunction with the exhibit. Copies are available through Smooth Space Editions.
Artists depicted in the exhibition included
Altar of Flies, The Ångströmers, Bad Trip, Kirk Barley, Elvin Brandhi, Thomas Brinkmann, Buck Moon, Circus Lupus, Cobra Verde, Chris Corsano, Cupid Car Club, Aaron Dilloway, Sholto Dobie, Doomsday Student, Drive Like Jehu, Egg Idiot, Escape-ism, The Ex, Goat (JP), Guided by Voices, GX Jupitter-Larsen, Half Japanese, Helm, Hoover, Ryoji Ikeda, The Jackson Pollock, Jan Jelinek, Alice Kent, Eli Keszler, Laughing Hyenas, Läuten der Seele, Levin Goes Lightly, Marginal Consort, Joe McPhee, Mission of Burma, Lubomyr Melnyk, Moving Targets, Cosey Mueller, The Nation of Ulysses, Jérôme Noetinger, Bill Orcutt, Rapoon, Red Brut, Alasdair Roberts, Rocket Freudental, Rodan, The Shadow Ring, Shudder to Think, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Territorial Gobbing, and Petr Válek, among others.
Music by Rodan, “The Everyday World of Bodies,” From Rusty (Quarterstick Records, 1994).