Viviane Sassen Explores Femininity and Sisterhood in Milan Exhibition

Viviane Sassen's Milan exhibition delves into the concept of the feminine, using photography as a poetic language where each image functions as a word within a larger poem. The Dutch artist, who draws parallels to Wolfgang Tillmans, emphasizes freedom of expression and experimentation across photographic genres, rejecting categorization into fashion, body, or social themes. A key work depicts a grave in Zambia, where Sassen photographed the funeral of a 40-year-old woman who died of AIDS, highlighting themes of death, sisterhood, and female solidarity. Another image of a pink pelican serves as a metaphor for female fertility and the womb. Sassen clarifies that the show is not a political statement but an exploration of archetypes of femininity, including motherhood and breastfeeding. She contextualizes her work within a renewed feminism, referencing the 500,000-strong Women's March in Washington against Trump, and notes shifting boundaries in sexuality and homosexuality globally, including in India. The exhibition aims to stimulate thought rather than make declarations.