Fiona Tan - Monomania

Imagination of the Inner

'Monomania' shows Fiona Tan's view of the imagination of the inner self and the emergence of psychiatry in the early 19th century, and the role that attentive viewing played in the diagnosis of mental 'disorders'. Tan, internationally known for her research-based film and video installations, lets you look differently at a past that turns out to be surprisingly current.

In her search in the Rijksmuseum collection, Fiona Tan was guided by questions such as: what was meant by monomania? How were people with mental problems viewed at the time? And, above all: how were they depicted?

Théodore Géricault and Edvard Munch

Fascinated by the portrait series 'Les Monomanes' by Théodore Géricault, Tan investigates how artists and scientists in the 19th century tried to understand the psyche. In the depot of the Rijksmuseum she searched for drawings, prints, photographs, paintings and also masks, utensils and objects. She combines these with special loans, such as Géricault's Portrait of a Kleptomaniac (1820-1824). The exhibition also includes prints by Fransisco Goya and Edvard Munch. Tan combines this with her own work, such as the compelling video installation Janine's Room (2025), specially made for this exhibition.

Tan invites the audience to reflect on how mental illnesses were (and are) perceived and depicted. 'Monomania' offers a new perspective on the Rijksmuseum's collection.

The exhibition Fiona Tan: Monomania is made possible in part by the Mondriaan Fund and the Women of the Rijksmuseum Fund.