PROSPECT HEIGHTS – THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM this spring will host the traveling exhibition “Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses,” paying tribute to the Dutch fashion designer, known for her use of cutting-edge technologies and her avant-garde pieces. Debuting in 2023 in Paris, the exhibition will launch in Brooklyn on May 16 at the museum’s annual Brooklyn Artists Ball, where van Herpen will be honored.
Van Herpen embraces both traditional couture craftsmanship and innovative materials and techniques, merging art, science and technology to create clothes that evoke elements of the natural world, from coral reefs and systems of fungi to patterns of planetary motion.
The exhibition will be divided into sections focusing on water, human anatomy, sound and light, the physics of motion and the interconnectedness of nature, as well as a replica of the designer’s studio. Over 140 of van Herpen’s designs will be placed alongside designs by Ferruccio Laviani, Tomas Libertiny and Ren Ri, as well as related works of art and scientific artifacts and specimens, and a soundscape by Dutch composer Salvador Breed.
The Brooklyn Museum’s presentation will feature art pieces and rare materials from its archives, a nod to the museum’s 1890 origins as the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, which held both fine art and scientific collections.
Born in 1984, van Herpen grew up in the Dutch riverside village of Wamel, where she fostered a passion for the natural world and classical dance, both of which are central to her design ethos. In 2007 she founded the Maison Iris van Herpen in Amsterdam. Her works — from water-like sculptural gowns and air-like fabrics to the first 3D-printed dresses to be shown on the runway — are favorites of luminaries like Bjork and Lady Gaga.
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