I visited Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at Brooklyn Museum in New York and came away needing time to absorb what I had seen. In my original notes, I called it one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. These photographs and my exhibition film hold a little of that encounter.
An exhibition I needed time to absorb
Some museum visits leave you ready to describe everything at once. After this one, I wanted to let the experience settle. When I shared the film on Instagram, I wrote that neither words nor photographs nor video could quite contain it. The beauty felt almost too concentrated to process in a single visit.
That was the reason for sharing an immediate impression before attempting a longer account. The film preserves something the caption could only suggest: sculptural silhouettes, intricate surfaces and the way the designs occupy the darkness around them. It is a small window into an experience that felt much larger in person.
Where fashion meets sculpture and science
Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses brings the Dutch designer’s work into a museum setting. Her practice connects haute couture with art, science and material experimentation. The designer’s official account of the Brooklyn opening describes it as the exhibition’s North American debut.
In my footage, a dress can read as an object in space before the eye begins to follow its construction. Curves stand away from the body; narrow elements gather into a larger form. You can look at the outline first, then move closer to the details. That change of scale is part of the pleasure.
Inside Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses
Galina’s original film from the Iris van Herpen exhibition at Brooklyn Museum, shared jointly on galinastyle and gali.artgallery.
Looking closer at the exhibition
These photographs bring the exhibition into closer view: fine lines radiate from a pale silhouette, dark curves trace the surface of another dress, and layers of red emerge from the shadows. Each image offers a different way to notice the relationship between shape, texture and light.
The photographs hold both the designs and a little of my response to them. They are an invitation to slow down with the details, to follow a curve or a repeated line, and to let the experience remain a source of wonder.
Following this story in New York
Brooklyn Museum is at 200 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. For exhibition availability, tickets and opening hours, use the museum’s current programme. My Instagram film records a visit in 2026; it is a personal recollection, and the museum is the source for planning a visit today.
For another part of my New York museum diary, explore the gold and decorative detail that caught my eye at The Met. Back in my own work, nature and atmosphere take a different form in my quiet landscape paintings.
A few questions
Which Iris van Herpen exhibition did Galina visit?
Galina visited Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at Brooklyn Museum in New York. Her original film was shared in August 2026.
Are the exhibition designs Galina’s work?
The designs shown in these photographs and the exhibition film are by Iris van Herpen. The images document Galina’s visit; her own paintings are in the GALI ART collection.
Where can I check the exhibition’s current dates and tickets?
Check Brooklyn Museum’s official programme before visiting. Exhibition dates, admission options and gallery access can change.
Sources & original photographs
Adapted from Galina’s Instagram notes, with exhibition photographs supplied by the artist. Museum information is linked to official sources where relevant.
