The Brooklyn Museum is opening a new edition of 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses,' building on a 2023 retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The exhibition features over 140 haute couture designs by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, known for merging high-tech materials like laser-cut Plexiglas with biological elements such as glowing algae and plastic bubbles. It includes recent collections like 'Sympoiesis' and works by artists including Kenny Nguyen, Wim Delvoye, and Tara Donovan, alongside a soundscape by Salvador Breed. The show runs from May 16 to December 6.
This exhibition matters because it positions van Herpen at the intersection of fashion, art, science, and sustainability, challenging traditional boundaries between disciplines. By incorporating living organisms and cutting-edge technology, her work highlights urgent ecological themes and the potential for couture to engage with scientific concepts. The Brooklyn Museum's presentation also underscores the growing institutional recognition of fashion as a legitimate art form, attracting diverse audiences and sparking dialogue about material innovation and environmental responsibility.