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

Dead scary or dead ordinary?

Each day an average of 155,000 people die around the world. Ultimately, death is unavoidable, inevitable. It is part of life. Death Matters - showing at Amsterdam’s Tropenmuseum from 3 November 2011 - surveys how people who suffer a bereavement deal with death. Different aspects of death are examined through personal stories, films, objects and contemporary art: leave-taking, mourning and commemorating. A magazine (Dutch only accompanying the exhibition features contributions by Stine Jensen, Frank Starik, Hafid Bouazza and Frénk van der Linden.

‘We hardly know what life is, how can we hope to understand death?’ - Chinese sage Confucius (fifth century BC). How people deal with the death of a loved one or their own impending death reflects their approach to life, their religion, status and personal experiences. Some people live accepting that life will one day end, for others the thought of death is frightening and difficult.

Cultural traditions and contemporary art

Death Matters shows how people deal with death in different parts of the world. How they mourn and commemorate: whether privately or openly, soberly or exuberantly, alone or communally. Various forms of leave-taking, mourning and commemorating are presented in the exhibition. These reveal much about what people think about life, death and the hereafter. In the Netherlands, the old sober and secular funeral culture has changed in recent decades. More space is allowed to give funerals a real sense of meaning and to make the leave-taking more personal.
Besides objects, personal stories and films, Death Matters also features recent work by international artists such as Marina Abramovic, Yang Jiechang, Jan Fabre, Carlos Amorales and Krien Clevis referring to various cultural traditions connected with death.

Phases of mourning

Visitors to the exhibition witness the different phases that those who suffer a bereavement experience: leave-taking, mourning, commemorating and - in some cases - contacting the deceased. For example, on Bali they carry the deceased in an exuberant procession and are not allowed to show grief since this would prevent the soul from freeing itself and reincarnating. Tibetan body-breakers cut up corpses and feed the pieces to vultures in a token of ultimate generosity by the deceased. On the former island of Marken elderly women wear black-and-white mourning weeds with colour accents after a funeral. Mexicans celebrate All Souls Day with sweetmeats shaped like skeletons and skulls. Once a year, Chinese burn paper gifts for their ancestors on Qing Ming.
Visitors can compare their own experiences with those of others and reflect on how they take their leave, mourn and commemorate.

Magazine

A magazine (Dutch only) accompanying the exhibition - De Dood Leeft - explores the show’s themes in interviews, stories, columns and photo reports. Contributors include Frank Starik, Stine Jensen, Frénk van der Linden, Hafid Bouazza, Bert Keizer and Bettine Vriesekoop.

Afterlife at Museum So Far

Alongside Death Matters, the Dutch Funeral Museum So Far hosts an exhibition entitled Afterlife - about what happens after death. Afterlife is developed with SKOR: Stichting Kunst en Openbare Ruimte and De Nieuwe Ooster cemetery and crematorium. Numerous activities are available accompanying both exhibitions, for more information see www.totzover.nl and www.tropenmuseum.nl.

About the Tropenmuseum

The Tropenmuseum presents, researches and encourages knowledge about and exchange between cultures. It offers a wide and varied audience an experience that utilises every form of museum presentation: exhibitions, collections and expertise, publications, the historic building, educational and other activities. The Royal Tropical Institute’s museum is active internationally in the field of culture and development. Tropenmuseum is supported by BankGiro Loterij.

Open

Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays 10 AM - 5 PM
Public holidays and school holidays (not summer holidays) - Mondays 10 AM - 5 PM
Tropenmuseum is closed on 1 January, 30 April, 5 May and 25 December.
On 24 and 31 December the museum is open until 3pm. Tropenmuseum
Linnaeusstraat 2
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
+31 (0)20 5688200
tropenmuseum@kit.nl
www.tropenmuseum.nl

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Note to editors
For more information contact Nanja Ruiter at Tropenmuseum T. +31 (0)20 5688418, or e-mail: n.ruiter@kit.nl. Visual material is available at press information.

Press photos

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