‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ in Brisbane

Iris van Herpen (designer), Netherlands b.1984, Carla van de Puttelaar (photographer), Netherlands b.1967 / Synergia Series 2021 / Photograph: Carla van de Puttelaar / © Carla van de Puttelaar

Iris van Herpen (designer), Netherlands b.1984, Carla van de Puttelaar (photographer), Netherlands b.1967 / Synergia Series 2021 / Photograph: Carla van de Puttelaar / © Carla van de Puttelaar / View full image

An exhibition celebrating Iris van Herpen, one of the world’s most forward-thinking living fashion designers, is at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) (29 July until 7 October).

DELVE DEEPER: Journey through ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’

‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ features 130 of the renowned designer’s visionary Haute couture creations and accessories, fashioned from the most innovative materials and new technologies. Van Herpen’s extraordinary garments have been worn by the likes of Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Björk and Beyoncé, and most recently by Indian philanthropist Mona Patel at the 2024 Met Gala.

Developed by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the exhibition is a sensory exploration of the Dutch designer’s multidisciplinary practice that merges fashion, contemporary art, design, technology and science. This extensive survey highlights van Herpen’s unique approach to transgressing conventional clothing norms while embracing both traditional couture craftmanship and innovative techniques.

Megan Cope’s ‘Whispers Wall’ with Iris van Herpen’s ‘Diploria’ coat

Megan Cope’s Whispers Wall of oyster shells installed in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, GOMA 2024 with Iris van Herpen’s Diploria coat, from the ‘Escapism’ collection 201, Collection: Groninger Museum, Netherlands / Photograph: N Umek © QAGOMA

Megan Cope’s Whispers Wall of oyster shells installed in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, GOMA 2024 with Iris van Herpen’s Diploria coat, from the ‘Escapism’ collection 201, Collection: Groninger Museum, Netherlands / Photograph: N Umek © QAGOMA / View full image

Sopheap Pich’s ‘Buddha’ installed in ‘Sculpting the Senses’

Sopheap Pich’s Buddha (from ‘1979’ series) 2009 installed in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, GOMA 2024 / Photograph: N Umek © QAGOMA

Sopheap Pich’s Buddha (from ‘1979’ series) 2009 installed in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, GOMA 2024 / Photograph: N Umek © QAGOMA / View full image

Courtney Mattison’s ‘Malum Geminos’ installed in ‘Sculpting the Senses’

Courtney Mattison’s Malum Geminos 2019 of glazed stoneware and porcelain installed in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, GOMA 2024 / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA

Courtney Mattison’s Malum Geminos 2019 of glazed stoneware and porcelain installed in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, GOMA 2024 / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image

Kohei Nawa’s ‘PixCell-Double Deer #4’ installed in ‘Sculpting the Senses’

Kohei Nawa’s PixCell-Double Deer #4 2010 installed in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, GOMA 2024 / Photograph: N Umek © QAGOMA

Kohei Nawa’s PixCell-Double Deer #4 2010 installed in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’, GOMA 2024 / Photograph: N Umek © QAGOMA / View full image

‘Sculpting the Senses’, features van Herpen’s Haute couture garments in dialogue with objects from natural history and works by artists including Megan Cope (illustrated), Cai Guo-Qiang, Yayoi Kusama, Kohei Nawa (illustrated), Anne Noble, Sopheap Pich (illustrated), Japanese art collective Mé, Damien Jalet, Casey Curran, Rogan Brown, Ren Ri, Philip Beesley and Courtney Mattison (illustrated) and presented across nine chapters: Water and Dreams, Sensory Sea Life, Forces behind the Forms, Skeletal Embodiment, Growth Systems, Synaesthesia, Mythology of Fear, New Nature and Cosmic Bloom.

Installing works in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’

Megan Cope, Quandamooka people, Australia b.1982 / Installation of Whispers Wall 2023 / Oyster shells, steel cables / © Megan Cope / Courtesy: The artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane / QAGOMA acknowledges the support of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland in presenting this work / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA

Megan Cope, Quandamooka people, Australia b.1982 / Installation of Whispers Wall 2023 / Oyster shells, steel cables / © Megan Cope / Courtesy: The artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane / QAGOMA acknowledges the support of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland in presenting this work / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image

Sopheap Pich, Cambodia b.1971 / Installation of Buddha (from ‘1979’ series) 2009 / Rattan, wire, dye / 220 x 110 x 30cm / Purchased 2010 with funds from the Estate of Lawrence F. King in memory of the late Mr and Mrs S.W. King through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Sopheap Pich / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA

Sopheap Pich, Cambodia b.1971 / Installation of Buddha (from ‘1979’ series) 2009 / Rattan, wire, dye / 220 x 110 x 30cm / Purchased 2010 with funds from the Estate of Lawrence F. King in memory of the late Mr and Mrs S.W. King through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Sopheap Pich / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image

Courtney Mattison, United States b.1985 / Installation of Malum Geminos 2019 / Glazed stoneware and porcelain / © & courtesy: Courtney Mattison / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA

Courtney Mattison, United States b.1985 / Installation of Malum Geminos 2019 / Glazed stoneware and porcelain / © & courtesy: Courtney Mattison / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image

Kohei Nawa, Japan b.1975 / PixCell-Double Deer #4 2010 / Mixed media / 224 x 200 x 160cm / Purchased 2010 with funds from the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation through the QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Kohei Nawa

The exhibition includes an evocation of van Herpen’s Amsterdam studio, a Wunderkammer or cabinet of curiosities, and a space dedicated to the designer’s fashion shows. It is also accompanied by an immersive soundscape by van Herpen’s partner and collaborator, the Dutch sound artist Salvador Breed, which weaves the various works together and enriches the sensory experience.

In a fusion of art, fashion and technologies, ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ is a stunning retrospective of the designer’s award-winning sculptural designs, which are celebrated on catwalks and in museums around the world.

Born in 1984, van Herpen grew up in the village of Wamel, The Netherlands, in harmony with nature and the living world. Nature, along with classical dance which she practiced intensively from an early age, are the creative wellsprings from which she draws inspiration in her work.

After a formative period working with Alexander McQueen and Claudy Jongstra, van Herpen founded the Maison Iris van Herpen in Amsterdam in 2007. She has built an international reputation for combining the subtleties of craftsmanship with the pioneering spirit of innovation, opening up her practice to a host of other disciplines in sensorial designs that capture the intricacy and diversity of the natural world.

In 2010, van Herpen joined the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris and that same year she presented her first 3D-printed dress from the ‘Crystallization’ collection, which was named by Time magazine as one of the fifty most exciting inventions of the year.

Iris van Herpen ‘Morphogenesis’ dress 2020

Iris van Herpen, Netherlands b.1984 / Morphogenesis dress, from the ‘Sensory Seas’ collection 2020 / Laser-cut screenprinting mesh, duchesse stain, laser-cut Plexiglas / Collaborator: Philip Beesley / Collection: Iris van Herpen / © & photograph: David Uzochukwu

Iris van Herpen, Netherlands b.1984 / Morphogenesis dress, from the ‘Sensory Seas’ collection 2020 / Laser-cut screenprinting mesh, duchesse stain, laser-cut Plexiglas / Collaborator: Philip Beesley / Collection: Iris van Herpen / © & photograph: David Uzochukwu / View full image

The exhibition is co-organised by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris and QAGOMA, Brisbane, based on an original exhibition designed by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ / Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Brisbane / 29 June to 7 October 2024, across the ground floor in The Fairfax Gallery (1.1), Gallery 1.2, and the Eric and Marion Taylor Gallery (1.3).

‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program, and Major Partners Shayher Group and Urban Art Projects. A full list of supporters is available online.

Featured image: Iris van Herpen (designer), Netherlands b.1984, Carla van de Puttelaar (photographer), Netherlands b.1967 / Synergia Series (detail) 2021 / Photograph: Carla van de Puttelaar / © Carla van de Puttelaar

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    We highlight dancer and choreographer Elijah-Jade Bowen's recent performance in the heart of ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’. Bowen is an emerging performer connected to her First Nations country of the Mununjali, Nunukul, Guugu Yimithirr peoples. ‘Sculpting the Senses’, an immersive sensory exploration of Iris van Herpen's practice with garments and accessories in conversation with contemporary artworks, natural history specimens and cultural artefacts from which the designer draws inspiration was the perfect showcase to highlight Bowen's talents with the ambient exhibition soundscape composed by artist Salvador Breed. This performance was filmed for screening at the 2024 QAGOMA Foundation Annual Dinner. Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses 29 June – 7 October 2024 Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Brisbane, Australia
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    A tapestry of sound adds a new dimension to ‘Sculpting the Senses’

    Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art exhibition ‘Sculpting the Senses’ — an Australian exclusive until 7 October 2024 — highlights the iconic designs of Iris van Herpen, an acknowledged visionary of fashion. The exhibition is supported by a unique soundscape created by Dutch sound designer and composer Salvador Breed which expands and enriches the experience. Watch | Salvador Breed creates a tapestry of sound Drawing inspiration from the depths of the ocean, the mysteries of the universe, the regenerative forms of nature, our bodies in movement and visions of humanity in a distant future, Dutch fashion designer van Herpen redefines and transcends the boundaries of prescribed femininity to become something more open, daring and transformative. This exhibition features 130 garments and accessories from across the designer’s career, arranged according to nine themes. Following a journey from the deep sea in ‘Water and Dreams’ to the outer reaches of the cosmos in ‘Cosmic Bloom’ — and everything in between — it reveals how van Herpen combines traditional craftsmanship with innovative technologies to create a new language that synthesises ideas from fields as diverse as ancient mythology, marine biology and quantum physics. At the heart of this immersive journey lies the collaboration with Salvador Breed, whose rich tapestry of sound adds a new dimension to the exhibition. Created in symbiosis with ‘Sculpting the Senses’, Breed’s ambient soundscape resonates with the worlds that are important to van Herpen, paired with the rich visual and material textures of van Herpen’s looks, it envelops visitors in a sensory experience. Water & Dreams Sensory sea life Forces behind the forms Skeletal embodiment Growth systems Synaesthesia Mythology of fear New nature Cosmic Bloom As longstanding collaborators, van Herpen and Breed make ‘sounds for dresses’, as van Herpen explains: ‘When I experiment on textures, he starts translating it into soundscapes for the shows. So when I discovered that every sound can be visualized, through water, for example, my world turned upside down. Instead of Salvador translating the textures I was creating into music, I could also think the other way around.’ Breed sculpts sound, vibrations, frequencies and moments of silence, with the use of field recordings, vintage analog and modern technologies, he puts down atmospheres, movements, and impacts, blurring boundaries between music and sound design. As Breed explains: ‘Sound, when woven into an exhibition, has the power to elevate the visitor experience, enriching the narrative… the importance of sound design in museum exhibitions lies in its ability to transform a visual experience into a multi-sensory journey… sound design has the power to make the experience come alive.’ In ‘Cosmic Bloom’ orchestrated by Salvador Breed, this collaborative sound work is intended to evoke the infinite and mysterious nature of the cosmos and has been composed as a grand finale for the ‘Sculpting the Senses’ exhibition. An electro-acoustic score creates an immersive experience for viewers in the colour-saturated environs of the space. All the musicians involved are current or past van Herpen collaborators, and their connections with the designer inform the score, described by Breed as a meditation. Watch | Journey through ‘Sculpting the Senses’ Watch | Iris van Herpen in conversation Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Brisbane The Fairfax Gallery (1.1), Gallery 1.2, and the Eric and Marion Taylor Gallery (1.3) 29 June to 7 October 2024 The exhibition co-organised by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris and QAGOMA, Brisbane, based on an original exhibition designed by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
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