Frau Holle - Special Edition

STEVENSON is pleased to present Frau Holle, an exhibition by photographer Viviane Sassen and longtime collaborator and artist Emmeline De Mooij. The exhibition takes its name from the pagan folkloric figure of Frau Holle who emerges from central Europe. From pre-Christian accounts, Frau Holle is described as a divine being capable of self-creation, destruction and regeneration. Diverging from the Grimm Brothers telling, which delivers a parable on diligence and virtue, Sassen and De Mooij challenge modern obsessions with youth, aging, gender, beauty and reproduction; and engage Frau Holle as a symbol of empowerment and autonomy. In Frau Holle, Sassen photographs De Mooij as this knowledgeable spirit, offering a portrayal of womanhood that moves across surrealist beauty, play, feminist discourse and erotic subtext.

Twenty-five years ago, Sassen and De Mooij collaborated on a photographic series titled Realm, which communicated an urgency to break free of confining narratives of girlhood and reclaim the outdoors. With Frau Holle, the artists return to their creative dialogue, while uncovering a newfound maturity in their process and outlook in an echo of how their womanhood has changed with time. In this photographic fairytale, images from years ago are interspersed, collaged and transformed with new gestures as their personhood is interwoven across different phases of life. By adopting the myth of Frau Holle, De Mooij and Sassen challenge the archetype of the old woman rendered invisible and recreate her into a character brimming with magnetism.

The use of collage alongside props and costumes contributes to a reclamation of play, which the artists identify as crucial in their collaboration. De Mooij holds a multidisciplinary practice, and with Sassen, converges this with photography. The exhibition's anchor image, Hell Holle, sees De Mooij photographed as a version of Frau Holle with a staff, wild hair and a sweater inscribed with the words ‘Hell Holle’ across the front. The text references the names ascribed to older women with mystical energies in ancient myths. Handmade with wool spun by De Mooij, the object embodies an exploration of feminized manual labour and power, reflecting a politics of care, time and visibility. Alongside the photographs, the exhibition includes some of the objects featured in the images.

Nature and nudity intertwine as the artists share a sense of humour, embedding images with vulnerable and erotic undertones, unconcerned with the male gaze. In an interview with Mirthe Berentsen included in the accompanying publication for the exhibition, De Mooij states. The way we went into the woods together as friends was also a form of mirroring each other. It’s as if you explore yourself through the eyes of the other person, through your connection with them. You are on common ground together because you're among women. Frau Holle engages with surrealist aesthetics and challenges an idea of palatable beauty and gender stereotypes. In its divergence from aestheticised beauty, Sassen explains that there is an ‘embrace of the monstrous. Because that is where true power exists.’ The exhibition refutes invisibility and affirms decades-long reflections of womanhood, desire and play. 

The exhibition is on view until 5 September 2026.