From 14 May to 4 September 2016, Museum Arnhem presents I want it to be soft. The journey of Bas Kosters, a retrospective of works by one of the Netherlands’ most eccentric fashion designers, Bas Kosters (Zutphen 1977).
The connection with Museum Arnhem is obvious: Kosters studied Fashion and Design at the Rijn IJssel College in Arnhem and attended a master’s programme at the ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem. There he developed his graduation collection ‘Two Teacups and a Frying Pan’, for which he won the Robijn Fashion Award that gave his career a flying start.
Kosters’ work interprets social and cultural issues in a way that is unparallelled in Dutch fashion, and is an important source of inspiration for young designers. Kosters established the Bas Kosters Studio in 2005, and has since launched many collections and developed numerous collaborations with companies such as Zeeman, Bugaboo, Heineken and, more recently, Wehkamp. Kosters designs using his own particular illustrative imagery and utilizes from almost every discipline: drawing, painting, collages, sculptures, dolls, installations, products, jewellery, graphic design, photography, music, performances and theatre. His work addresses topical social issues such as overconsumption, race and gender issues and ideals of beauty.
Bas Kosters and designer, stylist and curator Maarten Spruyt will create a world where clothing, installations, drawings, illustrations, textile art, ‘soft’ sculptures and videos engage in a dynamic dialogue. As the subtitle The journey of Bas Kosters suggests, we follow the work as a vivid journey through the world of Bas Kosters: visitors travel through 13 years of fashion and design based on a series of different themes. For this exhibition Bas will also create new works, including works with other designers and creators. One example of a new creation is the mask that is used in the exhibition campaign, designed by Ine Mulder and photographed by Marc Deurloo.
A monograph will be presented at the exhibition. This book is partly a retrospective, but is also relevant to the present and to Bas Kosters’ current vision as a designer. New links are identified within his oeuvre and previously unseen treasures will be revealed. Several people who have shared long and close collaborations with Bas Kosters will write short texts about him and his work: an inspirational and above all visual reference work that, with its essays, also informs the reader about Kosters’ vision and direction.
