2011

• Antwerp fashion students draw inspiration from world culture
• The World Explained on show from 9 December 2011 to 11 March 2012
• Dead scary or dead ordinary?
• Director Lejo Schenk to leave the Tropenmuseum
• Tropenmuseum stays RED
• Dramatic, almost abstract photos of natural disasters in Tropenmuseum

Tropenmuseum stays RED

A visual spectacle inspired by the colour red across all cultures

The Amsterdam's Tropenmuseum stays red. On account of the success of the exhibition ROOD (‘RED’) the Tropenmuseum decided to prolong the exhibition until the 31st of July. The exhibition ROOD - originally due to end the 8th of May- 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.

Visitors reviews
The visitors’ perspective on the colour red: “The colour red brings me a lot of happiness and light in life”, “Red is the colour of the sunset of today’s tomorrow”, “Red is the colour of the courageous Tunisian soldiers”, “Red is the first colour you see and also the last one. Close your eyes and see the colour”, “Red is the colour of being moody, having stomach aches and eating a lot of chocolate”.

Every Sunday in July a guided tour in English
Every Sunday in July the Tropenmuseum offers a guided tour of ROOD, where visitors can discover and experience the meanings of the colour red as it is perceived in several cultures. Start: 14.30 hrs for 5 euro (excl. entrance) in English.

ROOD/RED App
Why are flaming red panty’s hanging on the ceiling of the Tropenmuseum? How much wool does one need to knit a scarlet, life- size Ferrari? With the help of the ROOD/RED audio tour App, visitors will know the answer to all these questions and even more. Alongside their visit to ROOD, visitors are also invited to listen to the stories via their own iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or rent an iPod touch via the Tropenmuseum. Download the ROOD/RED App via Apple App store (1,59 euro). The same audiotour is available in the museum for rent (iPod touch, 3 euro excl. 5 euro deposit).

Highlights
The Tropenmuseum combines its own objects with the collection from the Museum of World Cultures in Basel, presented there in the RED (ROT) exhibition in 2007/2008. There are also objects on loan from a range of different museums including the Cobra Museum, the Amsterdam Historical Museum and the Dutch Army Museum.

Visitors will see controversial works of art, including a remarkable erotic costume by Belgian fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck and a monumental sculpture by Heringa/Van Kalsbeek. A key focus of their work is the central role played by this colour in many societies. The museum will exhibit sculptures by Gerard Quenum (a native of Benin) featuring dolls, found objects and red accents. The Widow (white) by photographer Inez van Lamsweerde will also be on display. In this portrait, the colour red both illustrates and accentuates the themes of mourning, suffering and death.

Alongside the contemporary art works, there are also numerous objects from ethnographic and cultural history. The highlights include a beautiful headdress from North America, a remarkable ancestral mask from Papua New Guinea, statues of Aztec deities and a Romanian devil’s mask. Other examples are a British soldier’s tunic from the Battle of Waterloo, political posters from the Netherlands, Iran and China, a bridal dress from Marken and a ceremonial robe created for Cardinal Simonis by fashion designer Aziz Bekkaoui. All in all, visitors will be treated to an exceptionally broad panoply.

About the Tropenmuseum
The Tropenmuseum presents, studies and promotes knowledge of and exchanges between cultures. It offers a range of different experiences to a wide and varied public, featuring every available museum resource: exhibitions, collections and expertise, publications, the historic building, education and other activities. The museum of the Royal Tropical Institute plays an active international role in culture and development. The Tropenmuseum is supported by the BankGiro Loterij.

Linnaeusstraat 2 | Amsterdam | +31 (0)20-568 8200
tropenmuseum@kit.nl
www.tropenmuseum.nl

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Note to editors
For further information please contact the Tropenmuseum, Nanja Ruiter, tel. +31 (0)20 – 568 8418, or by e-mail: n.ruiter@kit.nl.

Press photos

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