Exhibits of Devotion: Fetish, Fashion and Music Around the World
Immersive galleries and exhibits to explore cultural inheritance
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
While on the surface, fetish, fashion and music may not appear to have a much in common, they share a through-line of devotion; each category is sustained by cult followings and has visible cultural impact.
Fetish carries its lineage through material commitment and coded practice while fashion preserves its heritage through silhouette, masterful craft and reference. Music sustains through sound … first of a generation and then by nods from the artists that came after. You also find it in lived memory and ideals as well as distinct communities.
Exhibits of Devotion examines how culture persists when lineage outlasts trend. What survives and why? What can it teach us? And, how to we celebrate its lessons and legacy?
Fetish & Kink
Helmut Newton Foundation — Berlin, Germany
Photo Credit: @helmutnewtonfoundation
An institution devoted to eroticism, power and provocation in photography. Its rotating exhibitions frequently explore fetish, dominance, leather and the erotic gaze, with fresh programming running in 2026.
Schwules Museum — Berlin, Germany
One of the world’s most iconic queer museums. Its exhibitions regularly examine kink, leather culture, BDSM history and sexual subcultures within a political and cultural framework.
Museum of Sex — New York City, USA
A permanent institution exploring human sexuality through art, design and history. Its long-term and rotating exhibitions often include fetish fashion, kink communities and material culture.
Leather Archives & Museum — Chicago, USA
A globally significant archive dedicated to leather, fetish and BDSM communities. Its exhibitions document the aesthetics, politics and culture of kink with academic rigour.
Fashion
Marie Antoinette Style Exhibition — Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Wrapping up in March of 2026, this exquisite collection explores of rumoured excess and legendary style through fashion contextualized for modern visitors. The exhibition’s themes resonate strongly with fetishized power and control.
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art — Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Opening in March 2026, this large-scale exhibition showcases surrealism as couture, peeling back the symbolic language of the iconic designer. The show highlights anatomy, discipline and adornment as forms of dominance and fantasy.
Christian Dior Museum — Paris, France
A dreamy permanent museum exploring the beloved fashion house’s signature femininity, structure and silhouette while also educating visitors on the role the brand played in fashion history.
Music
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — Cleveland, USA
A permanent institution with rotating exhibits on rock, metal and subcultural movements. Find rock relics displayed in the museum and dive into an immersive world of groundbreaking artists and the cultural impact of musical movements.
British Music Experience — Liverpool, UK
An immersive museum dedicated to British music history featuring glam, punk, metal and alternative fashion cultures on display.
These spaces exist because people return to them. Communities carried meaning forward across time and place.
Objects remained because belief did. Devotion breathes life into the culture we hold dear.
Let these exceptional exhibitions shape your travel this year.
Where are you going first? Tell us in the comments.
Explore more gothic content stories at thelaceledger.com, and subscribe to receive our free monthly digital issue.
