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A mind-bending M.C. Escher exhibition designed by Nendo

What’s the art and what’s the exhibition design?

Woman walking through gallery with small houses Photo by Takumi Ota via Dezeen

Had M.C. Escher been alive in 2018, he almost certainly would have been an Instagram star. The Dutch artist, who is known for his perspective-bending optical drawings and sculptures, has influenced everything from hotel rooms to video games.

Now, he’s getting an expansive solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, designed by Nendo, the Japanese studio behind all forms of well-designed everyday objects. The exhibition, called “Between Two Worlds,” explores some 157 drawings and prints Escher made between 1916 and 1968, taken from the collection of The Hague’s Gemeentemuseum.

Exhibition entryway with house motif Photo by Takumi Ota via Dezeen
Woman walking on white pathway Photo by Takumi Ota via Dezeen

Nendo arranged the work in a monochromatic space that pays homage to Escher’s fascination with optical illusions. The exhibition greets visitors with a room covered in interlocking houses (a motif that continues throughout the show) and leads into a hallway with projected isotropic shapes. Escher’s work is ingeniously framed by the exhibition design, which is just as trippy as the work itself.

White gallery space with black frames Photo by Takumi Ota via Dezeen

It’s the kind of show that does little justice through pictures or words—you’ll have to go see it for yourself. “Between Two Worlds” runs through April 7, 2019.

Projected shape in dark hallway Photo by Takumi Ota via Dezeen

Via: Dezeen