Fiona Tan: Monomania

IMAGINING THE INNER SELF

Monomania presents Fiona Tan’s perspective on the imagination of the inner self and the emergence of psychiatry at the beginning of the 19th century, exploring the role of attentive observation in diagnosing mental "disorders." Tan, internationally renowned for her research-based film and video installations, invites you to view a past that feels surprisingly contemporary through a new lens.

In her exploration of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, Fiona Tan was guided by questions such as: What was understood by monomania? How were individuals struggling with mental health issues perceived at the time? And above all, how were they depicted?

Théodore Géricault and Edvard Munch

Fascinated by Théodore Géricault’s portrait series Les Monomanes, Tan examines how artists and scientists in the 19th century sought to understand the human psyche. Delving into the Rijksmuseum’s depot, she unearthed drawings, prints, photographs, paintings, and also masks, everyday objects, and artifacts. She combines these discoveries with exceptional loans, such as Géricault’s Portrait of a Kleptomaniac (1820–1824). The exhibition also features prints by Francisco Goya and Edvard Munch. Tan weaves these historical works together with her own, including the powerful new video installation Janine’s Room (2025), created especially for this exhibition.

Tan invites you to reflect on how mental illness has been — and still is — perceived and portrayed. Monomania offers a fresh perspective on the Rijksmuseum’s collection.

THANKS TO

This exhibition was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Mondriaan Fund.