From cave paintings to grandma’s sideboard, from ancient myths to contemporary apartments – hoofed animals are everywhere! The deer – magical, mythical, prestigious, kitschy, glitter, pink, simply – the cult deer is the protagonist of „The Many Incarnations of Deer”. Perhaps no other animal has been so loved in the common imagination, and yet so controversial.
The exhibition examines the turbulent fate and various illustrations of the deer. On its example, the exhibition will also present the process which has shaped our aesthetic sensitivity and the taste of mass culture.
The image of deer keeps reappearing in culture in many forms – from the oldest traces in mythology, the lore of fairytale and legend, through the time of infamy, when it was treated as a symbol of kitsch, until the present day and the victorious return of deer as an ironic, subversive decoration. We will examine the variety of images of deer in culture and its tumultuous career. It will be represented by vernacular art, 19th century petit-bourgeois interior decorations and its later folk echoes – figurines, paintings, handmade tapestries, contemporary home and garden decor, design and illustration.
The exhibition is addressed at every type of audience. The youngest guests will follow the mysterious traces of hooves into a fairytale forest in the middle of the city, discover classics of illustration, become captivated by the world of myth and legend, play and have fun. The adult visitors will enjoy a bit of the extraordinary, a journey into folk imagination, some sentiment and nostalgia, as well as examples of contemporary illustration and design. Everybody will also have a chance to visit a true forest oasis in the centre of Warsaw. Our deer guests – visit us and enjoy!
Curator: Olga Drenda.
Graphic design: Julia Mirny.
Scenography: Mirella von Chrupek.
IMPORTANT!
The exhibition is open to visitors during the opening hours of the Museum for Children:
Tuesday 09.00-15.00
Wednesday 09.00-18.00
Thursday-Friday 09.00-15.00
Saturday 10.00-18.00
Sunday 12.00-17.00.
During the week, between 9:00 and 13:00, museum workshops are held at the Museum for Children, please note the above fact when planning your visit. Groups of more than 5 people are kindly requested to contact prior reservations.
