Embassy of Intimacy

How spaces, objects and bodies meet

How do we relate to ourselves and to others? The ways in which we are open and intimate with each other has heavily changed over the course of time. In the eighteenth century, otoamily life was highly private and having a connection with the outside world was not as self-evident as it is today. This all changed at the end of the nineteenth century when certain social roles and structures dissolved and we started to express and share our feelings. But to what extent do we want to share, with whom, when and how? The Embassy of Intimacy is an exhibition, a social experiment but most of all a test site for new forms of closeness, manners and relationships. By means of (predominantly) performative works – including circus acts, immersive installations and experiences, and literary projects – the visitor is actively invited to create a deeper understanding of his / her / its own intimacy.

Commissioned work by:

Lauren McCarthy, Circus Engelbregt, Arnon Grunberg, Familiar Faces

Featured work by:

Chan Chiao Chun, Dries Verhoeven, Julian Hetzel, Jonas Ersland, Kim Saarinen, Sam Scheurman, The Secret Cookie Factory, Design Academy students of departments Man & Food and Man & Well-Being, Suzy van Staveren & Afra Eisma, The One Minutes curated by Next Nature Network, Victoria Romp and Jante Wortel