Music videos are alive and kicking. The World of Music Video in Forum, Groningen showcases the power, history and story of this art form. Welcome to the exhibition where you can see all singing, dancing and/or whistling running through...
Text & photography: Annika Hoogeveen
Queen was groundbreaking and pioneering in several areas. Also in the field of music video. Bohemian Rhapsody from 1974 was, in fact, the very first modern music video. Whereas the music video used to be mostly a recording of a live performance, it is now suddenly becoming an art form in itself. By now, music can no longer be separated from an accompanying music video that is supposed to give the song an extra dimension.
Part popular culture
Think Michael Jacksons Thriller, but also Gangnam Style by PSY. You used to sit in front of the TV to watch performances by your favourite singer(s) or band on TopPop. Then came MTV, a kind of radio on TV. Teenagers in particular were glued to the tube, waiting for the video of their favourite artist. The Netherlands later welcomed TMF (The Music Factory), an ideal medium for selling music -CDs. With the advent of the Internet, it was briefly thought that the last hour of the music video had struck, but views on YouTube show otherwise. And then there was also TikTok. In short: music videos are alive and kicking.
Zeitgeist
Equipped with headphones with thankfully beautiful sound, I begin a time-travel through the universe of music videos. Queen and Nirvana greeted me. Two divergent periods and musical styles, but both groundbreaking bands that have left an indelible impression on popular culture, and the perceptions of listeners. Clothing style and way of life. The exhibition is to wander through 50 years of music and television. To take you completely into the zeitgeist, the various clips are played on television sets and screens appropriate to the time of the music video in question. A trip down memory lane, in other words. I see Take On Me of a-ha and Jeanny by Falco, Britney Spears with Baby One More Time, but also November Rain, of which one is still not entirely sure what the video is about
Clips you see passing by in the Top 2000 these days, but no longer on television. MTV isn't really the channel of clips anymore. That channel that featured everything - except I Want To Break Free from Queen, because men in women's clothing was, of course, the worst thing you could see during the Cold War era.
I see all genres. That feels like a relief. After all, these days everyone is rather in their own music bubble. And sure, it's always nice to hear your favourite music, but it does hinder you from hearing, discovering and maybe even enjoying 'other' music. New sound that inspires you.
What also stands out: that you see music videos that used to be controversial, but are no longer. And vice versa. After all, censorship is never of all times. Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer might not be aired now, because woman-unfriendly. Cancelled. But it is essential to understand that time period in which this clip came about, and with it the norms and values of the 1980s.
Stimulating the senses
The World of Music Video is an interdisciplinary exhibition. Like music video as an art form. It shows the connection with photography, fashion, film, visual arts and dance. Besides the wonderful music, it is also extremely fascinating to see what developments music video has gone through in the past decades. From Queens Bohemian Rhapsody to Bad Guy by Billie Eilish. From the eccentric clips to more subdued works. Each clip has its own story, but viewers can have their own perspective on it. The exhibition makes you look at music videos differently.
What I find important at an exhibition or show is gaining knowledge. Leaving with more information than I had upon entering. For instance, I found out more about the involvement of several well-known directors in iconic music videos. Johnny Depp in a clip by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The descriptions accompanying the clips make you watch certain videos with different eyes in the future. More depth. Hidden visual culture and use of symbolism. It also stimulates memory. Images that have languished in the caverns of the brain. Memories come back. Songs and music videos that connect you to a situation or person. I also found out that I have also missed bizarre clips in recent years. Of some I do not regret...

There is no arguing about (music) taste
The original exhibition was on display at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Germany. In an abandoned mine, explains director (Marketing & Programme) Hans Poll. That setting gave an extra dimension to the experience. In Forum, an industrial style was chosen. This minimalism does not distract from the quantity of music videos. To see them all, you have to (wander) on the one hand, but at the same time be careful not to have missed a corner. After I went with the Daft Punks Around the World leaving the exhibition I still have some questions for Hans Poll:
How did the selection of music videos come about?
We wanted to show as wide a range of music videos as possible. This means there are not only productions from America, but also from UK, South Africa, South Asia, etc. on show. In addition, the exhibition takes you through five art disciplines: film, photography, dance, fashion and fine art, which all the clips have a hook to.
Which clips were featured in the original exhibition but have you replaced and why?
Most of the video clips were also featured in the exhibition at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Germany. In the selection for the Forum, consideration was given to what would be of interest to the Dutch audience. This resulted in a number of German video clips being taken out, while the most appealing ones were retained. In their place, five video clips were added to which a Dutchman contributed in one way or another. These are the following video clips:
– FILM: Golden Earring, Twilight Zone (1982): directed by Dick Maas
– PHOTOGRAPHY: Depeche Mode, Enjoy the Silence (1990): directed by Anton Corbijn
– DANS: Jungle, Back On 74 (2023): choreography by Shay Latukolan
– MODE: Janelle Monáe, Pynk (2018): clothing design by Duran Lantink
– VISUAL ARTS: Nobody beats the Drum, Gridin' (2010) directed by Rogier van der Zwaag
Madonna's Like a Prayer was once a controversial music video. Why can't it be seen?
There is no specific reason for this. Many music videos have been made over the years that were controversial, but in the end you have to make choices. In doing so, we looked closely at the music videos that fit the five art disciplines mentioned above as much as possible.
Religion has become an increasingly difficult topic to discuss over the years. Have you 'shunned' certain videos that discuss religion?
No, we did not shun videos in which religion recurs. Lil Nas X's music video Montero, for instance, features him playing basketball with the devil, hanging on the cross and piloting Noah's Ark.
The World of Music Video can still be seen until 18 May 2025.