THE UNIVERSAL BODY

Femme fatale or goddess without a body?

Part of the exibition: Goddesses of the Art Nouveau /Allard Pierson Museum

The interactive dance installation, The Universal Body, takes a critical look at the representation of women. According to Art Nouveau, is she ambiguous, a sensually seductive femme fatale and a symbol of purity and divinity without a body? Researcher Suzan Tunca and artist Matthias Oostrik question the dualism between mind and body in a contemporary and futuristic allegory and take you into a dance of universal unity.

The exhibition is on display at the Allard Pierson Museum from 5 Juni 2021, featuring the re-opening after the lockdown. And will travel on to Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe and Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum.

The Allard Pierson, in partnership with two museums in Germany, is compiling an exhibition about the international art nouveau movement. Key features of this style, which held sway throughout Europe from 1890 to 1910, are flowing lines and floral motifs. Another characteristic is the frequent depiction of beautiful females. Many of them are divine figures taken from classical antiquity, Byzantine icons, medieval legends and contemporary muses.

Photo: Floor Opheij

In the exhibition “Goddesses of Art Nouveau“, this fascination for feminine beauty is further examined and placed in the context of social developments of the time.