MoBA
Fetishism in Fashion
2012 / 2013
Curator Lidewij Edelkoort selected the theme of Fetishism in Fashion for the fifth edition of the M°BA (Fashion Biennale Arnhem / The Netherlands). It featured a series of exhibitions and events which explores and charts the passionate relationship the overall public has with fashion and accessories. The many wrist bands, the different types of bra straps and the laces which tighten corsets. We are literally connected to and enthralled by fashion which uses human fetishism in its design. A new world of helmets, armor and corsets; of caps, aprons and nappies; of tabards and tippets; of masks veils and wigs; and clogs, hooves and stilts. The changing idiom of tomorrow’s fashion.
In M°BA 13 – Fetishism in Fashion Lidewij Edelkoort, in collaboration with co-curator Philip Fimmano and with sub curators; People of the Labyrinths (Make Believe), Ravage (Fascination) & Lola Pagola (Elevation), will lead us through the extraordinary and – currently – unexplored territory of fashion and fetishism.
Lidewij Edelkoort on Fetishism in Fashion: “As a devotee of clothing and textiles in particular; I decided to analyze and dissect our obsession with fashion by dedicating a theme to the phenomenon of fetishism. An analysis of our desire to know and express ourselves; from covering and veiling to the most eccentric extremes which the desire for beauty can lead to. I wanted to look for the strong links which exist between an item of clothing and the wearer; the passion which can be caused by a pair of shoes or the emotional experience which the tactility of a textile can give us.”
Fetishism as a starting point for the biennale deals with more than just the sexual connotation certain items of clothing and accessories can have. It is also about the emotional and, sometimes even, obsessive relationship we have with the way we come across. We communicate with each other both intentionally and unintentionally thanks to our appearance. We have our favorite items of clothing, favorite colors and the accessories we collect. We dress ourselves and are led by intuitive and seemingly irrational processes.
M°BA 13 – Fetishism in Fashion will use exhibitions, films and images, dance and theater, and workshops to summon a world which appeals to our darkest and most primitive instincts.
Arnhem exhibition locations; Kennis Cluster (Rozet), Eusebiuskerk, Marienburg, Castle Zypendaal & Burgers Zoo
Video compilation of Moba part 1 / Fetishism in Fashion
Video compilation of Moba part 2 / Fetishism in Fashion
Photo impression of MoBA – Fetishism in Fashion
Website MoBA