Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen is an acknowledged visionary of the twenty‑first century. Her iconic designs draw inspiration from the depths of the ocean, the mysteries of the universe, the regenerative forms of nature, our bodies in movement and visions of humanity in a distant future. In her hands, fashion is being redefined, transcending the boundaries of prescribed femininity to become something more open, daring and transformative.

This exhibition — a first for Australian audiences — features 130 garments and accessories from across the designer’s career, arranged according to nine themes. Following a journey from the deep sea to the outer reaches of the cosmos, it reveals how van Herpen combines traditional craftsmanship with innovative technologies to create a new language that synthesises ideas from fields as diverse as ancient mythology, marine biology and quantum physics.

‘Sculpting the Senses’ brings van Herpen’s designs into conversation with contemporary artworks, natural history specimens and rare manuscripts to explore these myriad influences. An evocation of the designer’s atelier offers insights into the rich material experimentation that underpins the creation of each piece, illuminating how van Herpen focuses as much on the creative process as the finished garment.

Two of van Herpen’s most vital creative wellsprings are the natural world and the human body in motion, reflecting her early childhood passions for nature and classical dance. Organic, rhythmical silhouettes suggest the intricacies of a mollusc’s shell, or the vibrational energies at work within the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.

Van Herpen’s restless curiosity has led her to collaborate with pioneering thinkers in the fields of architecture, dance, biology, physics and visual art. This transdisciplinary ethos also characterises her relationship with her ‘muses’ — groundbreaking figures, such as Björk, Lady Gaga and Tilda Swinton — for whom she creates her Haute Couture.

In addition to van Herpen’s garments, footwear and headpieces, the exhibition features shadow projections by Canadian media artist Philip Beesley, an explosion drawing by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, astronomical photographs, documentary footage of blooms of phytoplankton and fungal networks by Yann Arthus Bertrand and Michael Pitiot, colourful photographic abstractions by Kim Keever, haunting sculptures by David Spriggs, a kinetic artwork featuring 300 gold seed pods by Casey Curran, and two immersive installations by the Japanese art collective Mé.

Originated by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, ‘Sculpting the Senses’ reveals the avant-garde wonder of Iris van Herpen, a truly transformative force in the world of fashion.

Feature image: Iris van Herpen / Netherlands b.1984 / Morphogenesis dress, from the ‘Sensory Seas’ collection 2020 / Lasercut screenprinting mesh, duchesse stain, lasercut Plexiglas / Collaborator: Philip Beesley / Collection: Iris van Herpen / Photograph: David Ụzọchukwu / © David Ụzọchukwu