MIRROR MIRROR – Fashion & the Psyche
‘MIRROR MIRROR – Fashion & the Psyche’ is a joint exhibition by MoMu and Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent. It investigates the interconnections between fashion, psychology, self-image and identity.
How do contemporary fashion designers and artists challenge beauty ideals? Can clothing protect us mentally and give us strength? The exhibition at MoMu puts our personal experience of our bodies centre stage. An unexpected and surprising dialogue between art installations and avant-garde fashion highlights such themes as body dysmorphia, the layered meanings and history of human replicas, such as dolls and mannequins, and the symbiosis between art, fashion and technology in the form of cyborgs and avatars.
Apparel and style do not emerge solely from the heads of well-known fashion designers, but can be created in isolation, in the privacy of someone’s living room or even a psychiatric hospital. Garments can send a message or be the fulfilment of deep yearnings, and go on to engage in dialogue with the world of fashion. The Dr. Guislain Museum brings together exceptional artists, each of whom uses textiles to give themselves a place in the world. Their creations might be hidden to the world, or revealed to just a few, but can also be worn with pride on the catwalk of the street.
MoMu presents the work of artists such as Cindy Sherman, Ed Atkins, Genesis Belanger, Hans Bellmer and Genieve Figgis, in dialogue with creations by designers such as Comme des Garçons, Simone Rocha, Walter Van Beirendonck and Viktor & Rolf.
Dr. Guislain Museum shows work by Marcel Bascoulard, Jane Fradgley, Christopher Kane, Yumiko Kawai, Bas Kosters & Ayse Somuncu, Ezekiel Messou, Giovanni Batista Podestà, Kenneth Rasmussen, Melina Riccio, Joseph Schneller, Henry Speller, Pascal Tassini, A.F.Vandevorst, Giuseppe Versino, ROB Walbers, Nana Yamazaki and more.
© MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp, photo Stany Dederen