Visit duration: 60 - 90 minutes
If there were no barriers at all, would you want to have wings? Gorgeous long turquoise hair? Would you be an elf or a knight? A superhero or a historical queen? Cosplay begins with that fundamental question: who do you want to be? Cosplay – a portmanteau of ‘costume’ and ‘play’ – is a subculture in which people dress up as their favourite characters from films, books, games or comics. Design Museum Den Bosch delves deeper into this youth culture with the first large-scale museum exhibition on cosplay in Europe. Featuring dozens of spectacular costumes and an immersive exhibition design by Bart Hess and Grietje Schepers, Cosplay – the exhibition is an invitation to step into the imaginative world of this subculture.
Cosplay is all about the joy of dressing up, the creative process and sharing a passion with others. But it is much more than that: cosplay is a global youth culture, a commercial success and a subversive and creative pastime. Millions of people worldwide are involved in cosplay. Cosplay is an online and offline testing ground for community spirit and identity, where much more is possible than in the ‘normal world’. Many cosplayers make their own costumes; in this way, they experiment with gender and self-expression through the creative process. At the same time, cosplay plays a major role in political protests. Cosplay also reflects a significant shift in the way younger generations engage with issues such as originality, authenticity and commerce. In this way, cosplay acts as a mirror of our times.
This exhibition was created entirely in close collaboration with the cosplay community. All the costumes and accessories were loaned by cosplayers, who were actively involved in the development of the exhibition. The co-creation process began with interviews with academics, cosplayers and convention organisers, followed by brainstorming sessions. This enabled nearly a hundred cosplayers to share their experiences and passions. In the focus group that followed, a small delegation of twenty cosplayers explored the subject in even greater depth. Over the course of three sessions, they discussed the exhibition’s themes, the specific items on display, and the communication strategy and public programme. Finally, a private online platform was set up, where a hundred cosplayers are contributing ideas on the further development of the exhibition.
For Cosplay – the exhibition, Eindhoven-based designers Bart Hess and Grietje Schepers are collaborating. This is the first full exhibition they have designed together. Bart Hess works at the intersection of fashion, art and technology. He is known, amongst other things, for the slime dress he designed for Lady Gaga, and he recently collaborated with the Scapino Ballet. Grietje Schepers creates large-scale light installations in which she plays with scale, colour and recognisable or recycled materials.
Together, Hess and Schepers translate the world of cosplay into an immersive exhibition experience: as a visitor, you walk through various imaginative worlds featuring, of course, dozens of spectacular cosplay costumes and accessories.
Do you enjoy wearing a costume? You are most welcome to come to the exhibition in cosplay. Please bear in mind that it can get busy and that the exhibition is fragile: large wings, long swords and other bulky costumes and accessories are best left at home. As a rule, you may not bring anything larger than A4 into the exhibition.
Activities at the exhibition
19 September 2026 12:00 — 16:00
