The idea of “less is more” does not apply to the costumes of Machine Dazzle. This is evident in the colorful and over-the-top creations on display in the artist’s solo debut at The Museum of Arts and Design, Queer Maximalism. The exhibition features nearly 100 creations from the “stage, spectacles, and street theater.” Machine Dazzle, also known as Matthew Flower, will lead a special tour of this debut exhibit just for Untapped New York Insiders on February 4th!

Queer Maximalism exhibit by Machine Dazzle at the Museum of Art and Design
Photo by Jenna Bascom. Courtesy the Museum of Arts and Design

To achieve a queer maximalism” aesthetic, Flower takes the traditional elements of drag and burlesque costumes like sequins, glitter, and feathers, and mixes them with “fantastical and found objects, such as ping pong balls, hoop skirts, slinkies, soup cans, and more.” The blending of these items creates a new genre and “deepens the work’s narrative intent.” The effect of these striking and extravagant creations is a celebratory affirmation of queer identity, diverse bodies, and a rejection of the prejudices of cultural hierarchies.

Queer Maximalism Exhibit Tour

Queer Maximalism exhibit by Machine Dazzle at the Museum of Art and Design

The maximalist costumes on display in the exhibit at MAD have been worn by Machine Dazzle, his long-time collaborator Taylor Mac, and performers such as Mx Justin Vivian Bond. Spread throughout two floors of the Museum of Arts and Design, the exhibit highlights dozens of costumes created for the queer performance art concert production, Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (2016), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. This exhibit is the first time those costumes will be on public display.

  • Queer Maximalism exhibit by Machine Dazzle at the Museum of Art and Design
  • Queer Maximalism exhibit by Machine Dazzle at the Museum of Art and Design
  • Queer Maximalism exhibit by Machine Dazzle at the Museum of Art and Design

Accompanying the costumes there are “environments, ephemera, material samples, photography, and video” that all come together to illustrate the evolution of Flower “from a closeted suburban kid from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, to “Machine Dazzle,” the queer experimental theater genius.”

Queer Maximalism exhibit by Machine Dazzle at the Museum of Art and Design
Photo by Jenna Bascom/Museum of Arts and Design

You can tour this explosive new exhibit with the artist on February 4th! This artist-led tour is free for Untapped New York Insiders. Please be aware that some of the works on view contain adult sexual content. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today and get your first month free by using code JOINUS.

Queer Maximalism Exhibit Tour

Queer Maximalism exhibit by Machine Dazzle at the Museum of Art and Design

Next, check out 10 Influential Figures of NYC’s LGBTQ Rights Movements