Madelon Vriesendorp's 'Mind Games' at Sir John Soane's Museum

The 'Mind Games' exhibition at the Sir John Soane's Museum in London showcases a retrospective of artist Madelon Vriesendorp, who was awarded the museum's annual medal in 2025 for her significant impact on architecture. This display highlights various aspects of Vriesendorp's extensive career, featuring vintage Manhattan postcards from the 1970s, a period when she and Rem Koolhaas were crafting a 'paranoid critical' interpretation of the city while co-founding the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) with Elia and Zoe Zenghelis. Notable works include her iconic depictions of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings as lovers, the Statue of Liberty shedding copper panels, and everyday items like polyethylene milk cartons reimagined as swans. The exhibition contrasts with the typical corporate museum layout, as it is set against Soane's rich collection of around 15,000 objects in his Georgian townhouses. An opinion piece by Sam Jacob critiques how institutions categorize and manage objects, suggesting that this practice limits their cultural significance. It draws connections between Soane's personal collection, the symbolic environment of the Freud Museum, and Vriesendorp's London flat filled with mementos. The exhibition is currently on view at the Sir John Soane's Museum.