Orlando – Based on a Novel by Virginia Woolf

The 1928 novel Orlando tells the story of a young noble person in the age of Queen Elizabeth I who lives for centuries without ageing and has the mysterious ability to switch gender. In 1992, film-maker Sally Potter devised what has become a classic adaptation of the book with actress Tilda Swinton in the title role. ‘I see Orlando as a story about the life and development of a human striving to become liberated entirely from the constructs of prescriptive gender or social norms of any kind,’ Tilda Swinton says of Woolf’s story.

In the dual role of guest editor and curator, Swinton took up the central concerns of the novel in a special issue she devised for the magazine Aperture and in an accompanying exhibition: gender fluidity, the idea of boundless consciousness and the prospect of eternal life. Her concept brings together the work of eleven artists – a combination of established contemporary positions and images by photographers who have yet to be discovered. The exhibition also includes an introduction developed by Fotomuseum Winterthur introducing the writer Virginia Woolf and film-maker Sally Potter. 

The works – some of them conceived especially for the exhibition – challenge dominant power relations and structures as well as heteronormative ideas and the white male gaze. They examine the construction of identity and the representation of marginalised communities and alternative life plans. The works do not confine themselves to questions of gender; they are a celebration of creativity, openness, curiosity and the diversity of human existence. The exhibition thus plugs into current sociopolitical debates, while providing insight into a wide range of artistic approaches. 

The exhibition features works by Zackary Drucker, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Jamal Nxedlana, Elle Pérez, Walter Pfeiffer, Sally Potter, Viviane Sassen, Collier Schorr, Mickalene Thomas and Carmen Winant.

EXHIBITION HANDOUT
GLOSSARY

ARTIST TALKS

In the context of the exhibition, the museum regularly offers digital Artist Talks with selected artists. During these moderated talks, the artists give insights into their work and working processes. Find more information about our upcoming Artist Talks here. The archive of past Artist Talks can be accessed here:

ARTIST TALKS

The exhibition Orlando – Based on a Novel by Virginia Woolf is a project by Aperture Foundation, New York.

Orlando is made possible, in part, with the support of Slobodan Randjelović and Jon Stryker. Aperture also thanks ROOT STUDIOS for supporting the production of Mickalene Thomas’s work.