Contemporary art and design in dialogue with crafts from the 1700’s.

Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen, Denmark, 3 May – 23 September, 2012.
Rococo-mania is an unconventional museum experience that explores rococo as a phenomenon of the past as well as the present.

‘Mountain Scape’, Laura Baruël, 2012, photo: Pernille Klemp.

‘Melankolyst’, Anne Damgaard, 2012, photo: Pernille Klemp.

YINKA SHONIBARE, MBE “Un Ballo in Maschera” (A Masked Ball), 2004. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Stephen Friedman gallery, London.

‘Dancing with the deaf and dumb eye’, Nikoline Liv Andersen, 2011, photo: Nicky de Silva.

Women’s Dress, Denmark, ca.1755-70, with over skirt dress, manteau, silk brocade, 155a-b/1998. Photo: Pernille Klemp.

With this exhibition, Designmuseum Danmark invites the audience to reflect on commonalities between the past and the present. The past is illustrated with select 18th-century items from the museum’s permanent collection, while the present is represented by works created by four contemporary artists: the world-famous British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE and three Danish fashion designers, Nikoline Liv Andersen, Laura Baruël and Anne Damgaard.

The exhibition revolves around a number of themes including fascination, power, styling and motifs that migrate from East to West. Printed and embroidered textiles, men’s and women’s fashion and porcelain made in China and Denmark are presented in a context consisting of 18th-century mirrors and furniture. The historical objects are presented side by side with the works of the three fashion designers and Yinka Shonibare’s work, the film Un ballo in maschera along with a selection of costumes from the film.

Among other topics, the exhibition illustrates how people living in the 18th century styled their lives by means of fashion and accessories, for example fans and snuffs boxes. In this context, Rococo-mania will highlight some of the items in the museum’s permanent exhibition, for example the extravagant toilet set that belonged to the Danish queen Caroline Mathilde, who is portrayed in the current Danish film A royal affair. In addition, the exhibition presents some of the museum’s delicate and very large textiles, which are rarely put on display.