De Pest

Saint Sebastian lived in the third century AD. He was captured by soldiers of the Roman emperor Diocletian, tied to a pole and shot with arrows poisined with plague. Miraculously, Sebastian recovered from his injuries. Therefore, from the Middle Ages on, he was considered to be a patron saint against the plague.

The exhibition De Pest (The Plague) in Museum Het Valkhof was inspired by a medieval wooden sculpture of Saint Sebastian, that was acquired by the museum in 2019. The exhibition created a narrative about our relation to infectious deseases from the Middle Ages till the present, through a combination of classical- and contemporary art and archeological objects. Through this, the show provided a space for reflection on the cultural phenomena arising in times of epidemics – extremely relevant in the days of yet another global pandemic.

comissioned by Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen
allround graphic design of the exhibition
made in 2021
photos by Flip Franssen