Healing Power in Amsterdam

ABOVE: Wedding amulet. Tibet. Gold, turquoise. H: 7.2 cm.
Tropenmuseum, Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, inv. RV-4988-7.

An exhibition titled Healing Power: Shamanism,Winti, and Sorcery, on view at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam until June 6, 2022, explores the secular traditions and the rituals practiced around the world to combat all kinds of ailments—physical,psychological, and spiritual.

Amulets, healers’paraphernalia, and all manner of other instruments believed to have prophylactic properties from widely diverse cultures in Asia, Africa, and the Americas are seen alongside creations by contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst and Marina Abramovic, who have explored this subject.

The exhibition also features the work of photographer Jeroen Toirkens, who was hired by the museum to document the nomadic communities of Mongolia, among whom the practice of shamanism remains anchored in ancient custom.

Healing Power: Shamanism,Winti, and Sorcery

Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam

Until June 6, 2022

ABOVE: Shaman’s robe. Siberia, Russia. Leather, iron, wire. 134 x 150 cm.
Tropenmuseum, Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen, inv. RV-1-1582.