The Roman Catholic Church has a precise system for categorising the religious worth of holy relics. A first-class relic is the mortal remains of a saint – for example, the head of Saint Catherine, entombed in Sienna. A second-class relic would be an object used or worn by the saint; it becomes holy through its intimate contact with the venerated being, such as the Turin Shroud. A third-class relic is an object brought into contact with a first or second-class relic; it can be separated by time and space from the original, yet retain something of its holiness: for instance, a vial of water from a sacred site. In an increasingly secular world where pop stars are venerated like saints, it’s interesting to think of this system of classification in relation to pop culture momentos and merchandise, as well as the places we make pilgramages to.

Holy Pop!, a new exhibition at Somerset House, investigates the religious tenor of modern fandom: the special, sacred meaning of our most treasured pop souvenirs, and the ever-evolving geography of holy sites on the pop culture map – from Bowie’s memorial in Brixton to Dobby’s grave in the Pembrokeshire sand dunes and Jim Morrisson’s graffitied headstone in Père-Lachaise Cemetery. The exhibition is a treasure trove of artworks and beloved objects, including artist Connor Coulston’s Notice Me...Take My Hand (a ‘Britney Pot’ made from glazed ceramic and neon); a piece of gum chewed by Nina Simone and enshrined by a fan, and a collection of devotional objects dedicated to George Michael (including a framed photograph of a popular cruising spot on Hampstead Heath, with “Take me to the fuck tree” written in diamanté).

The exhibition’s curator, Tory Turk, explains, “Holy Pop! goes beneath the surface of fandom to explore the ways that we pay homage to pop stars and cult icons, either through making the physical pilgrimage to grave sites or temporary memorials, or by the careful collections and displays that decorate our homes, tell us about ourselves and feed our spiritual selves, giving us hope as everything else becomes more and more uncertain.”

In a digital world, the exhibition reminds us of the powerful relationship we have to physical objects. “Part of the purpose of the exhibition is to inspire people to not minimise the things that we've chosen to keep or we just can’t let go of – the reason that we keep them is because they have the power to transport us back to a time, a feeling,” Turk says. “Objects can be imbued with an aura in a way that a digital image can’t be.”

Many items in the show are on loan from the collections of fans, and they are displayed with the same care and dignity as the artworks one would more expect to find at Somerset House. For Turk, a guiding principle of the exhibition was to treat everything with equal reverence. She tells Dazed, “I wanted to include artists and non-artists and showcase them as equals to highlight how important the collecting and the preserving of objects is to the documentation of pop culture history.” In the ‘official’ Catholic relic hierarchy, anyway, a piece of Nina Simone’s gum actually ranks higher than a work of art – in religion and pop fandom alike, proximity to the idol is the most important factor. 

Why do some figures inspire such near-religious devotion from fans? “Religion has historically offered a framework whereby you can reflect on your role in the world through prayer, or a reason to come together and to unite, either through visiting religious buildings or singing together or whatever it may be that encourages us to look beyond the beyond the surface of the experience of living in the world, [and consider] what it means to be human. I think worshipping something you’re a fan of serves a similar purpose,” Turk explains. “Often with fans, there is a need to feel comfort or navigate your identity through feeling a connection with someone who speaks to your heart and feels ‘like home’. If it’s Britney Spears and you’re a kid growing up in Greater Manchester navigating your homosexuality, for example, she becomes a tool for escapism because you feel this connection that is bigger than just pop music.”

It’s impossible to talk about pop star worship without considering Elvis Presley, who codified and created the archetype of the “rock god” – there are reported instances of people literally carrying sick children to the foot of the stage to be touched by him during Vegas shows. One of the most arresting objects in the exhibition is a huge heart-shaped tribute to Elvis, draped in a sash reading, “I can’t help falling in love with you.” Turk says, “When I first was developing the exhibition, I actually wanted Elvis to be the first person you saw in the room. Since the 1950s, the post-war era of consumerism is when the world went through so much change and Elvis was riding that wave in so many ways – he went from the Bible Belt of Memphis singing gospel while also going to the ‘dark side’ of rock music,” she says. “He’s so iconic and is almost like a modern-day Jesus for so many fans. He was anarchic and a lot of the exhibition is quite non-conformist. [Photographer] Hayley Louisa Brown's project included in the exhibition was about travelling to Graceland and documenting the children of Graceland, where Elvis lives on. Its such a multi-generational thing there, almost like passing the baton of his spirit on.”

Some of the icons represented in Holy Pop!, such as Prince, have acquired the almost-mystical status of cult leaders. The exhibition includes an image of the Detroit house-cum-Prince-shrine owned by house and techno icon Moodymann (Kenny Dixon Jr.) alongside a photograph of Prince fan Emma Hart’s personal collection of Prince items. “It’s all about connection, community, not being a robot, being anti-establishment and connecting with people that talk the same language as you, despite your background,” Turk says. “Prince touched both of those people in spell-binding ways. Emma, a Jewish lady from North London and Moodymann, a Black producer from Detroit – I’m sure they could have talked for hours about Prince. It connects people in a way that isn’t designed by the establishment or constructed. It’s pure.”

Holy Pop! is running at Somerset House until 9 August 2026.