ON VIEW UNTIL SUNDAY 4 JUNE - So recognisable, so endearing and yet so strange! This spring you will come face to face with the hyperrealistic sculptures of Patricia Piccinini. Metamorphosis is this Australian artist’s first major solo exhibition in the Netherlands. Encounter hybrids between humans and animals: furry, friendly creatures embracing each other, and fascinating beings that you have never seen before, but somehow still recognise. Allow yourself to be surprised by Piccinini’s surrealistic fantasy world.

Fairy-tale creatures and cyborgs

With her almost life-like, yet alienating sculptures, Piccinini explores whether it is possible for human beings, nature, and technology to co-exist in harmony. Her fairytale creatures pluck at our heart strings, evoking empathy for ‘otherness’. With her art, Piccinini imagines a possible shared future and asks questions like: What does it mean to be human? With her cyborgs as well as her other creatures she blurs the lines between organic and technological bodies.

Fascinating sculptures

Piccinini’s work forges new, fascinating connections between various lifeforms. The large installation The Field invites you to roam through a field with thousands of ‘flowers’ resembling both prehistoric Venus figurines and genetically modified plants, the sculpture Prone represents a baby with the ears and nose of a bat, and in Kindred an orang-utang mother is holding on to her two children. Or are they human after all? It is impossible to remain unaffected by Piccinini’s sculptures.

Patricia Piccinini, Bootflower, 2015 © Courtesy of the artist and Borås Art Museum, Sweden
Patricia Piccinini, The Comforter, 2010 © Courtesy of the artist and the Institute for Cultural Exchange
Patricia Piccinini, Sanctuary, 2018 © Courtesy of the artist and the Institute for Cultural Exchange

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About your visit

Booking an online ticket in advance is mandatory for everyone, including visitors with a Museumkaart, Rotterdampas, or VriendenLoterij VIP Card. This way, you are guaranteed admission and we can ensure that your visit is as pleasant as possible.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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  • The Kunsthal is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs. The Kunsthal Café opens half an hour earlier, so you can visit from 9:30 hrs until half an hour after closing time. Check the current opening hours.

  • Yes, you need to book a ticket with a start time in advance. This also applies if you have a Museum card, Rotterdam pass, or VriendenLoterij VIP Card. This way, you are guaranteed admission and we can ensure that your visit is as pleasant as possible. Book your start time.

  • Yes, with an online ticket, you can visit all the exhibitions that are on display on the date of your visit. You can also stay as long as you like. You are welcome at the Kunsthal from your designated start time until closing time. Book your start time.

  • In de Kunsthal Rotterdam zijn altijd meerdere wisselende en contrastrijke tentoonstellingen tegelijk te zien. Een volledig overzicht van alle actuele tentoonstellingen vind je op de tentoonstellingspagina.

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