Eleanor Antin - A Retrospective, MUDAM — Works

The groundbreaking retrospective of Eleanor Antin at Mudam Luxembourg demanded a spatial design as nuanced, theatrical, and conceptually rich as the artist's own practice. Entrusted with this task, Diogo Passarinho Studio created a scenography that acts not merely as a backdrop, but as a dynamic narrative framework and a critical accomplice to the artworks.

Understanding that Antin’s work—spanning photography, video, performance, and installation—revolves around the construction of identity, history, and storytelling, the studio conceived an exhibition architecture that seamlessly shifts in tone. It provides distinct, immersive environments for each of Antin’s iconic personas and series. The visitor moves from the cinematic, road-movie pacing of the 100 Boots series, through the clinical, taxonomy-inspired space reflecting Carving: A Traditional Sculpture, to the theatrical stages for The King, The Ballerina, and The Nurse. Each section’s materiality, lighting, and rhythm are carefully calibrated to heighten the viewer's engagement with Antin’s feminist and political inquiries.

The scenography masterfully avoids a monolithic feel, instead creating a curated journey that mirrors Antin’s own method of weaving “personal and historical” stories. It allows for moments of intimate reflection alongside more expansive, dramatic presentations, ensuring that the “continued relevance and influence of her work,” as highlighted by Mudam, is felt viscerally throughout the space.

This exceptional result was born from a strict and amazing collaboration with Bettina, Mudam’s curator of the exhibition. This close, symbiotic partnership between curator and scenographer was essential to translating the conceptual depth of Antin’s five-decade career into a coherent and powerful spatial experience. Together, they ensured that the exhibition design itself subverts expectations and guides the audience through the complex forces of societal roles and historical narratives that Antin so brilliantly deconstructs.

Diogo Passarinho Studio’s work for Eleanor Antin at Mudam is a testament to how thoughtful scenography can amplify an artist's voice, turning an exhibition into a truly transformative encounter.

2025 MUDAM, LU

Curators:Bettina Steinbrügge, assisted by Julie Kohn

Exhibition Architecture: Diogo Passarinho Studio

Team: Diogo Passarinho and Gonçalo Reynolds

Production Team: Paula Fernandes, Matthias Heitbrink, Lou-Andréa Sultan

Thanks to: Dikamar

Media Partner: Le Monde

The exhibition is organised by Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean in collaboration with Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein and MOCAK, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków.