The Wende Museum Presents David Bowie in the Soviet Union

Culver City, CA (March 16, 2023) – The Wende Museum presents the new exhibition David Bowie in the Soviet Union, open to the public from April 1, 2023 until October 22, 2023.

Geoff MacCormack, also known by the stagename Warren Peace, was one of David Bowie’s oldest and closest friends: they used to listen to American rock ‘n’ roll records together when they were 8 years old. During Bowie’s key transitional years from 1973 through 1976, MacCormack joined his friend’s backing band as singer, percussionist and dancer, while also practicing photography. As Bowie preferred not to fly, they traveled together by boat, train and road.

In April 1973 they undertook a journey from Yokohama, Japan, to Paris, traveling across the Soviet Union aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. MacCormack’s photos of this journey show Bowie unguarded, documenting their close friendship and shared sense of adventure: participating in drinking sessions with sailors and soldiers, meeting fans and tourists, and providing impromptu performances on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

The exhibition, guest curated by Olya Sova, also includes David Bowie’s short film The Long Way Home, which documents various stages of their trip on the train, including their time in Moscow during the May Day Parade. Also on view will be the exhibition Vietnam in Transition: 1976 – Present and the guardhouse installation T.G.I.Freiheit by Katya and Alexei Tylevich.