Autumn: a limbo between the relentless heat of summer and the central heating of winter days. It brings along colours and atmospheres that do not describe stagnation but a perpetual becoming, a gradual and romantic decadence that can be accepted in the promise of a future, spring-like rebirth. It is in this suspended dimension that the obscure, the dark, the surreal, obsessions and petulant memories make their way. October is the month that most embodies this spirit. We have selected five exhibitions that we believe could do the same. Gloomy settings, dark colours, monsters and more or less familiar magical creatures will animate the museums, taking visitors into an otherworldly atmosphere.
Five obscure and fantastic exhibitions on display this autumn
From HR Giger & Mire Lee in Berlin to the boundaries of surrealism at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, here are the dark and twisted exhibitions to visit right now.
HR Giger & Mire Lee, Installation view, Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin, 2021.© The Artists and Schinkel Pavillon; Photo: Frank Sperlin
Photo credits: MAD, Paris / Christophe Dellière
Image: Koga Harue (Kurume, Japan 1895–1933 Tokyo) Umi (The Sea) 1929 Oil on canvas 51 3/16 × 64 in. (130 × 162.5 cm) The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Image: Onbekende fotograaf, “Interieur van het Großes Schauspielhaus, Berlijn, door Hans Poelzig”, ca. 1919-1920. C/o Technische Universität Berlin.
Image: Zenaida Yanowsky as The Red Queen in Christopher Wheeldon's ballet Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The Royal Ballet. ©ROH, Johan Persson, 2011. Sets and costumes by Bob Crowley
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- Clara Rodorigo
- 26 October 2021
- Leonora Carrington, Chiki, ton pays (Chiki, Your Country), courtesy: The MET
Opening on 18 September and on view until 2 January 2022, the exhibition “HR Giger & Mire Lee” is dedicated to visionary Swiss artist HR Giger (1940-2014) and South Korean artist Mire Lee. Curated by Agnes Gryczkowska with the assistance of Hendrike Nagel, the exhibition is the first institutional exhibition of the painter, sculptor and designer HR Giger, known for being the “father” of the Xenomorph, the monstrous creature featured in Ridley Scott's 1979 film, “Alien”. The unsettling exhibition space is populated by Giger's grotesque mutant figures, a disturbing reference to the nuclear arms race during the Cold War, alongside Mire Lee's kinetic sculptures and "alchemical" installations made of silicone, PVC, pipes, machinery, metal and concrete.
On show until 24 April 2022, "Thierry Mugler, Couturissime" traces the work of Thierry Mugler, a revolutionary artist who left his mark on the world of fashion and haute couture. An exhibition initiated, produced and disseminated by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) in 2019, which in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs frames Mugler's return to Paris, the city where his career took off almost fifty years ago. A set-up structured like an opera accompanies the visitor to discover the artist's alter egos, with costumes, animated projections and music. Fantastic, animal-like creatures and robots anticipating the evolution of transhumanism populate the exhibition space, staging the artist's groundbreaking universe.
On view through January 30, 2022, “Surrealism Beyond Borders” presents a revolutionary insight into the Surrealist movement; transcending geographical and chronological boundaries, the exhibition focuses on the movement's branches from Eastern Europe to the Caribbean, from Asia to North Africa, from Australia to Latin America. Trans-historical and transnational paths intertwine and overlap to offer a new perspective on Surrealism, deepening the artists' living and working conditions and the historical context that marked them; these include the search for independence from colonialism, the experience of exile and displacement in the wake of international conflicts. The exhibition explores the subconscious, obsessions, eroticism and history, presenting eight decades of work and pieces produced in 45 countries.
The exhibition, open until 18 April 2022, presents two centuries of history with a focus on the melancholic, the dramatic, the dark. Designed by Bureau Laekenvelder and dedicated entirely to the Gothic subculture, the exhibition examines its origins in traditional European art and alternative and popular culture, and the subsequent ramifications in music, film and art. A “dark” exhibition design stands in complete opposition to the reassuring white walls of the standard exhibition space. Obscure and mysterious, the exhibition also features an extensive programme of additional activities, including a walk to discover the Gothic side of Den Bosch.
“Alice, Curiouser and Curiouser” is the V&A's signature exhibition for 2021. Dedicated to one of the most iconic and beloved stories of all time, it constitutes an immersive journey down the rabbit hole. The exhibition traces the evolution of the book over 158 years, including the adaptations that have made it a global phenomenon. Designed by award-winning designer Tom Piper, "Alice, Curiouser and Curiouser" features theatrical sets, immersive environments and a special Virtual Reality experience that will allow visitors to play croquet. An "other-worldly" journey through psychedelia and surrealism, to discover Wonderland.