For more than three decades, Dutch fashion designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren have pushed the boundaries between haute couture and fine art with breathtaking virtuosity. These self-proclaimed outsiders have earned their place in fashion history through unconventional design, technical precision, and deep knowledge of fashion and art history. Their creations have been worn by artistic icons including Madonna, Tilda Swinton, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Doja Cat, and Cardi B, and have been featured in ballet productions and an opera directed by Robert Wilson.Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements marks the first major retrospective of the duo's work in Germany. Developed by the Kunsthalle München in collaboration with Canadian curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot, it follows his acclaimed exhibitions Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk (2015), Peter Lindbergh: From Fashion to Reality (2017), and Thierry Mugler: Couturissime (2020/21)—all celebrated successes in Munich.The exhibition showcases approximately 100 of Viktor&Rolf's most audacious creations in a spectacular presentation. Works are drawn from the designers' personal archives and major private collections, with many appearing for the first time. Handcrafted porcelain dolls—a material archive capturing miniature versions of select creations season after season—are also on display. The exhibition is enriched by videos, sketches, and works by renowned photographers including Andreas Gursky, Inez & Vinoodh, and Ellen von Unwerth.Nine thematic chapters structure the presentation: "Upside Down," "Fashion Artists," "Russian Dolls," "Fashion Statements," "Dolls," "Zen Garden," "Performing Fashion," "Conceptual Fragrances," "Upcycling Couture," and "On Stage." Elaborate animated projections by Oscar-winning visual effects studio Rodeo FX—known for Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings, Blade Runner 2049, and Indiana Jones—enhance the experience.

"We're thrilled to showcase three decades of our work at the Kunsthalle München," Viktor&Rolf say. "Museum exhibitions have always felt essential to complement our seasonal presentations. They're more accessible than the runway—more people can experience them, and they endure. Exhibitions reveal how certain themes resurface over the years and highlight the exceptional craftsmanship behind each piece."Roger Diederen, director of the Kunsthalle, adds: "With Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements, the Kunsthalle München presents its next major haute couture exhibition. I'm delighted to bring this Amsterdam-based duo to Munich and realize the first retrospective of their work in the German-speaking world. Their innovative designs—inspiring both fashion and the art world for 30 years—receive an extraordinary setting here."Curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot elaborates: "Viktor&Rolf are celebrated for their experimental, conceptual fashion shows and performances, their exquisite craftsmanship, and their innovative silhouettes—sometimes crafted from tulle or canvas, red carpet or ringing bells. For three decades, they've created unique, groundbreaking wearable art in spectacular fashion."

Viktor&Rolf's collections typically begin with a conceptual spark. From conception onward, technical development is paired with vision for the final presentation—their runway shows. Rather than traditional catwalk presentations, their défilés become performances where the designers serve as storytellers, directors, and often participants. Early in their career, they sourced vintage fabrics from Cristóbal Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent. Later, they mined their own archives and signature motifs—ruffles, embroidery, voluminous silhouettes—reinterpreting unorthodox haute couture through patchwork, braiding, and weaving techniques.

Viktor&Rolf are renowned for synthesizing seemingly disparate elements into their signature surreal aesthetic. Their Fashion Statements collection (S/S 2019), for instance, featured social media slogans artfully layered on sumptuous gowns of laser-cut tulle. Flowerbomb—their iconic 2005 fragrance—embodies this same contrarian spirit, as do fragrances like Spicebomb and Bonbon, which translate collection concepts into olfactory form with the same meticulous sophistication they apply to design.This abstract sensibility has led to inspired collaborations beyond fashion. In 2004 and 2009, they partnered with director Robert Wilson to create costumes for "2Lips and Dancers and Space," a four-part dance co-created with Nederlands Dans Theater, and for Wilson's production of Weber's opera Der Freischütz at Baden-Baden's Festspielhaus. Throughout their collections, Viktor&Rolf dissolve boundaries between artistic disciplines: in Wearable Art (A/W 2015/16) and Performance of Sculptures (S/S 2016), they forged extraordinary dialogues between garment and painting, garment and sculpture—challenging our conventional relationship with clothing itself. Their designs became autonomous artworks, independent of the wearer.Viktor&Rolf's practice transcends seasonal style. They're engaged in something more fundamental: reflecting on fashion itself while expressing a singular artistic vision.

A comprehensive, lavishly illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition, featuring an interview with Viktor&Rolf and essays that illuminate the designers' multifaceted practice. Through their work, they continually negotiate the boundaries between art and fashion, juxtaposing romantic playfulness with authority, extravagance with precision, rebellion with classicism.Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements is organized by the Kunsthalle München and curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot in collaboration with Maison Viktor&Rolf and L'Oréal Luxe.

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