Theatre Costume –
Abecedarium of Illusions
Scenkonstmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden, 2025
Scenkonstmuseet's largest temporary exhibition to date takes visitors into the world of theatre costume — from A to Z. Structured as an abecedarium, each letter opens a new perspective on one of the stage's most intimate and least-seen arts.
The exhibition unfolds a world of skilled hands, extraordinary materials, and the quiet magic that happens long before the curtain rises. Visitors meet the tailors, milliners, and costume textile artists who translate a director's vision into cloth and thread, and follow a costume from its first sketched outline, through fabric selection and fitting-room negotiations, to the moment it steps into the light and becomes a character. How does a silhouette shape a role? What does a collar communicate that words cannot?
Featuring around 100 costumes drawn from Scenkonstmuseet's own collection, theatres across Sweden, and private loans — each piece a document of performance, collaboration, and craft.
Curated by Anna-Klara Mehlich. The exhibition was a finalist for Exhibition of the Year 2025, awarded by the Forum för Utställare, the Association of Swedish Museums.
Abecedarium of Illusions
Scenkonstmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden, 2025
Scenkonstmuseet's largest temporary exhibition to date takes visitors into the world of theatre costume — from A to Z. Structured as an abecedarium, each letter opens a new perspective on one of the stage's most intimate and least-seen arts.
The exhibition unfolds a world of skilled hands, extraordinary materials, and the quiet magic that happens long before the curtain rises. Visitors meet the tailors, milliners, and costume textile artists who translate a director's vision into cloth and thread, and follow a costume from its first sketched outline, through fabric selection and fitting-room negotiations, to the moment it steps into the light and becomes a character. How does a silhouette shape a role? What does a collar communicate that words cannot?
Featuring around 100 costumes drawn from Scenkonstmuseet's own collection, theatres across Sweden, and private loans — each piece a document of performance, collaboration, and craft.
Curated by Anna-Klara Mehlich. The exhibition was a finalist for Exhibition of the Year 2025, awarded by the Forum för Utställare, the Association of Swedish Museums.
Size: 800m2
Role: Curation, exhibtion design, graphic design
Role: Curation, exhibtion design, graphic design
Photos: Hendrik Zeitler