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• Who's afraid of RED?

RED

until 31 July 2011, Great Hall

A visual spectacle inspired by the colour red across all cultures

Until 31 July 2011, Amsterdam's Tropenmuseum will be turning red. The exhibition RED (ROOD) will focus on the colour in all its many aspects. Red is one of the most important colours in almost every culture and has many meanings. Visitors will see Armando and Constant alongside masks from Oceania and a statue of Lenin juxtaposed with a Chinese bridal gown. Over three hundred objects, including ethnographic artefacts and modern art, will arouse all the senses. The colour red is what gives all these objects their power and significance.

From blood-red and scarlet to Burgundy and the red of the evening sky. The objects are displayed in a transparent, flowing setting created by designers Maarten Spruyt and Tsur Reshef, well known for their work in the Rijksmuseum’s Art Nouveau exhibitions, Voici Paris! – Haute Couture and 15 years of Marlies Dekkers. Of course, the colour red means something different to everyone, but it also has universal associations. These meanings are numerous and contradictory. Red can stand for happiness, fertility and love but also for power, violence and danger. Red can be romantic, but it can also be deadly. All of these associations are included in the exhibition in themes such as life cycles, energy, power, identity, deities, demons and love.

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Progress exhibition RED

Take a look at the progress photos from the construction of the RED exhibition. Watch the photos on Flickr.

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 This exhitibion is based on the exhibition Rot developed by Museum der Kulturen / Basel, Switserland 2008

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