Viviane Sassen and Emmeline de Mooij – Frau Holle

Stevenson Amsterdam presents Frau Holle, an exhibition by photographer Viviane Sassen and artist Emmeline de Mooij. The exhibition refers to the European mythological figure Frau Holle and uses her as a starting point for a story about womanhood, ageing, beauty, autonomy and power.

Sassen photographs De Mooij as a version of Frau Holle: a figure moving between surreal beauty, play, feminist discourse and erotic undertones. In doing so, the exhibition pushes back against narrow ideas about youth, visibility and ‘acceptable’ beauty.

Photography, play and objects

The collaboration builds on a photographic dialogue that Sassen and De Mooij began twenty-five years ago with the series Realm. In Frau Holle, older images are interwoven with new work, collages, props, costumes and objects from the photographs.

The exhibition is on view at Stevenson Amsterdam from 12 June to 5 September 2026, close to the canal belt and easy to combine with other Amsterdam photography visits.