It’s not everyday you get the chance to scrutinise one of Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen’s creations up close. But here we are, with Singapore’s ArtScience Museum being the home to her debut solo exhibition in Asia. Happening from March 15 to August 10, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses also headlines the museum’s 2025 season titled Mind and Body – one that explores the intricate connection between mind and body and what it means to be human.
If we may say so ourselves, Iris van Herpen is one of the few prominent designers challenging the conventions of garment construction and fashion as a whole. Her breathtaking pieces of art are created through fusing traditional craftsmanship with modern day technology such as 3D printing and laser cutting. She has also collaborated with engineers, architects, and even NASA, to bring a fresh wave of innovation to haute couture that often blurs the line between fashion and science. You would have most probably seen her creations donned by superstars like Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Grimes, Bjork, Fan Bingbing, Naomi Campbell, Scarlett Johansson and Céline Dion.
A rare chance to come up close with the designer’s 140 iconic creations
Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses is based on the original exhibition designed by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The Singapore iteration of the show at the ArtScience Museum will feature 140 of her iconic pieces, accessories included, displayed alongside natural history specimens such as corals, fossils and skeletons and contemporary artworks, as well as artefacts loaned from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Divided into 11 zones covering nine themes that are frequently explored by the Dutch designer, the show will allow visitors to journey through the depths of the ocean to outer space – experience the magic as her dresses move kinetically, zoom in on her fabrics through a microscope, and step into a recreated studio to explore her processes, fashion tearaways, and inspirations. The experience is also accompanied by sound designs by Dutch composer and music producer Salvador Breed.
11 zones, 9 themes
Things kick off at Water and Dreams, a zone that explores water in its different states. Here, you’ll encounter Herpen’s 2020 collection Sensory Seas, the Hydrozoa dress worn by Lady Gaga, marine specimens, and accessories such as belts, headpieces, and face jewellery created in collaboration with Irene Bussemaker.
Don’t miss the standout zone of the show – Skeletal Embodiment. Dive into Iris van Herpen’s exploration of the human body, where she analyses bones, muscles, and connective tissues to create forms that fit like a second skin. Featured is the striking Skeleton dress, inspired by Japanese artist Heishiro Ishino, alongside the stunning Crystallisation top and skirt, developed in collaboration with designer Daniel Widrig and 3D printing company Materialise.
Here’s something that stood out for us: a 270-million-year-old fossil of a Dimetrodon – a prehistoric reptile-like mammal that predates dinosaurs by 50 million years.
Our favourite zone would be Alchemic Atelier, offering an intimate glimpse into van Herpen's Amsterdam workshop – it’s almost like stepping into her personal fashion sketchbook. This zone unveils the creative origins behind some of her most renowned designs and silhouettes. Visitors can learn more about her revolutionary ‘craftolution’ process. You’ll also find a collection of material experiments, including fine embroideries, waterjet cutting, ancient plissé folds, silicone mouldings, kinetic textures, and more. It’s where artistry and innovation seamlessly come together.
The exhibition wraps up with the stunning Cosmic Bloom, a zone where van Herpen’s dresses seem to defy gravity, floating through space and time. The cosmos has long been a major source of inspiration for the Dutch designer, and this space reveals how she merges scientific discoveries with the rich history of art and science. You’ll see her work in conversation with astronomical photography and the documentation of her Magnetic Motion collection, photographed at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern.
Learn more about theMind and Body season and the show’s complementary programmes here, get your tickets to Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses here, and download the exhibition guide before heading down here.
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