The Art of COSPLAY
Special exhibition at Völkerkundemuseum
Beletage (1st floor)
12. April 2025- 31. August 2025
HGGS members are cordially invited to visit the exhibition „The Art of Cosplay“ at Völkerkundemuseum Heidelberg (Hauptstr.235) with us on Sunday, May 4 at 13:00 and take part in a guided tour in English.The exhibition will serve as a complement to the Forum's theme “Us and Them” and our lecture & discussion series with the same theme. HGGS will cover the cost of admission and the guided tour, but we kindly ask you to bring your student ID with you. We would be delighted to meet many of you there - and of course also at the Forum.
Cosplay is the art of bringing a character from manga, anime, video games or movies to life through costume and performance. The term is made up of “cosyume” and “play” – it’s not just about wearing a costume, but also about imitating the personality and gestures of a figure. The exhibition explores the connection between cosplay, Japanese history and traditional crafts. It shows how cosplayers are inspired by historical Japanese objects and how traditional techniques and concepts from Japanese culture pick up in their cosplays. The contemporary costumes made available to the Museum of Cosplayers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are accompanied by historical objects from the collection of the Ethnological Museum.
Japan and Europe, past and present, mythology and fantasy – they are all inextricably interwoven in the cosplay culture.
