The exhibition Claude Cahun. Under the Skin, revolves around the work of French artist, activist and writer Claude Cahun (1894 - 1954). The exhibition leaves no doubt not only how versatile, progressive and defiant her work was, but also how poignant it remains more than seventy years after her death.

Claude Cahun was a multifaceted artist and pioneer in the artistic exploration of gender and sexuality. The careful selection of works in the exhibition invites the visitor into the very unique life and oeuvre of Cahun through seven different chapters: Questioning Identity, Network and Privilege, Theatricality and Masquerade, Surrealism and Politics, Aveux non Avenus, Jersey and Resistance.

In her vast production of self-portraits, many of which can be seen in Under the Skin, Cahun embodies different personas and reveals herself as an artist whose work, while personal, is also highly political, and often undermines traditional and static concepts of gender roles, customs and social conventions and the patriarchy. Cahun became internationally known in the 1970s, when her work is rediscovered and becomes an icon and reference among feminist and LGTBQA+ intellectuals.

The exhibition comprises only contemporary large-format prints. In this way the works come close to the visitor and the penetrating and often theatrical character of Cahun’s work is optimally brought to the fore front. The exhibition, as it was shown in its initial form contained 65 (sixty-five) reproductions of photographs and archive material.

Optional:

The film Confessions To The Mirror (68 min., 2016) by the renowned filmmaker Sarah Pucill concludes the exhibition. Based on a text written by Cahun, this film reflects on the artist's political activism and her imprisonment in 1944.