£5 million-worth of punk memorabilia was burnt, now you can see the ashes

From April 20-28, Lazinc Gallery in Mayfair is displaying the giant pile of ash created when Joe Corré deliberately set fire to punk memorabilia worth five million pounds in 2016. The son of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren claimed the act was designed to kill off punk after it had morphed into a highly commercialised, mainstream ghost of its former self. Others were less convinced, with NME reporting that fans of punk described it as ‘selfish, pointless and fucking sad’. Time Out, meanwhile, came up with some alternative suggestions the money could have been spent on. 

The exhibition, titled 'Ashes from Chaos', features the ashy remains of – among other things – bondage gear, Johnny Rotten’s trousers and a Sid Vicious doll with a swastika. Most notably, however, the installation includes a re-creation of McLaren’s Death Mask by the sculptor Nick Reynolds. The original was made for the former manager of the Sex Pistols’ coffin, while this one is made to mark the death of punk.

All profits made from selling the artwork are going to the charity Humanade.

Find out more here.