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The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is currently hosting a revolutionary exhibition, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, until April 28, 2024. This exhibition is a tribute to Iris van Herpen, a visionary in the realm of fashion design, recognized for her trailblazing use of technology and her defiance of traditional fashion norms.
The exhibition, which began on November 29, 2023, is a journey through the multidisciplinary approach of van Herpen, showcasing over one hundred haute couture pieces. These garments, more akin to avant-garde sculptures than just clothing, are put in dialogue with contemporary art pieces, highlighting the intersection of fashion with various forms of artistic expression.
Iris van Herpen, born in 1984 in Wamel, Netherlands, integrates her profound connection with nature and a background in classical dance into her designs. Her career, post stints with Alexander McQueen and Claudy Jongstra, has been marked by a pursuit of innovation. This is exemplified by her 2010 Crystallization Collection featuring the first 3D-printed dress, a piece that epitomizes her interdisciplinary approach to haute couture.
The exhibition is not just a display of fashion; it is an exploration of the human body’s relationship with space and its future in a rapidly evolving world. It questions and redefines the boundaries of fashion, art and science, embodying van Herpen’s commitment to eco-responsibility and her pursuit of slow fashion. The thematic curation, handled by Cloé Pitiot and Louise Curtis, with scenography by Studio Nathalie Crinière, enhances the sensory experience of the visitors.
The show begins with the theme of water and the origins of life, a motif recurrent in van Herpen’s work, manifesting in her Carte Blanche collection and juxtaposed with David Spriggs’ work Origins. The exhibition continues to challenge perceptions with sections dedicated to the skeleton, embodied by the Skeleton dress, and the sensory world, explored through multimedia presentations.
As the exhibition culminates, van Herpen’s works are projected against a cosmic backdrop, symbolizing the infinite potential and transcendence of fashion. Accompanying this visual feast is a sound composition by Salvador Breed, which further immerses the visitor in this extraordinary journey.
Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses is more than an exhibition; it is a celebration of the confluence of technology, art and fashion, and a testimony to van Herpen’s unique vision that extends beyond the conventional boundaries of haute couture. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs invites visitors to experience this journey, an odyssey that spans the realms of the tangible and the ethereal, the microscopic and the cosmic, encapsulating the essence of Iris van Herpen’s extraordinary vision.
