Exhibition about body modifications in the widest sense, across time and cultures.
The Body Art exhibition can be seen from 20 March to 30 August 2015 in the Tropenmuseum.
Body modifications like tattoos, piercings and make-up can be seen every day on the street. The body, and in particular the skin, serves as a canvas to give form to yourself, to transform and show who you are. It is an important means of expressing identity. With Body Art the Tropenmuseum presents an exhibition about body modifications in the widest sense, from make-up and tattoos to implants below the skin and surgical changes. Across time and cultures. The central question is – why do people alter their body?
Six possible answers
Never before has there been an exhibition in the Netherlands about body modifications in the widest sense which focuses on the question, why? The Body Art exhibition in the Tropenmuseum introduces the visitor to six possible answers. Contemporary work by the world-famous artist ORLAN and photos by Krijn van Noordwijk are alternated with personal stories and top pieces from the Tropenmuseum’s own collection and from, for example, the MAS in Antwerp and the Museum der Kulturen in Basel.