Walter Van Beirendonk: Dream the World Awake
Over three decades, Walter Van Beirendonck has built up an impressive international career. He is the maverick of Antwerp fashion scene, and became primarily known for his colourful designs, his spectacular fashion shows in Paris in the 1990s under the label “WLT”, and the critical messages on society he proclaims in his designs. His work combines the most diverse sources of inspiration, ranging from technology, art, and pop culture to ethnography.
In addition to many of the most exceptional silhouettes from Beirendonck’s collections, the exhibition provides an overview of the world he lives in, his sources of inspirations, and his numerous other projects. By way of different themes, it takes a deeper look into the narrative characters of his oeuvre, his fascination for ethnography, spiritualism and the supernatural, science fiction and technology.
The exhibition reveals how Van Beirendonck examines the frontiers of beauty, creating his own interpretations of concepts imposed by society, for example, in terms of gender and sexuality, and how he incorporates topical themes, including ecology, AIDS, and consumerism into his collections and presentations.
The exhibition also investigates the diverse projects beyond the catwalk, in which Van Beirendonck has participated, with special focus on the costumes for U2 PopMart tour 1997.
Van Beirendonck has also collaborated with photographer Nick Knight/SHOWstudio.com, stylist Simon Foxon, and GQ Style UK to develop a new photography and video project created especially for this first large-scale retrospective exhibition of his work.
Exhibition under the lead of
Curators: Walter Van Beirendonck, Kaat Debo, & Geert Bruloot | Scenographers: Walter Van Beirendonck & Geert Bruloot
Image courtesy of © MoMu Modemuseum Antwerp, photo Ronald Stoops