New Amsterdam Museum Puts Visitors in Cages with Preserved Animals

A new exhibition in Amsterdam has opened that reverses the standard expectations of a zoo by placing the human visitors inside enclosures. The Art Zoo, located in a 17th-century canal house, invites guests to walk through rooms surrounded by black metal cages while preserved animals appear to roam freely nearby. The collection includes a 12-foot taxidermic crocodile suspended from the ceiling with its mouth open, along with piles of bones and illuminated tulips in apothecary jars.

The museum was created by Dutch artists Jaap Sinke and Ferry van Tongeren. They drew inspiration from wunderkammers, or curiosity cabinets, which wealthy Europeans collected in the 16th and 17th centuries to display objects from the natural world. Van Tongeren told The Associated Press that the pair likes to add drama and attitude to the animals, unlike traditional taxidermists who aim to mimic nature. He noted that the concept relies on having people in cages while the animals are free, making the whole building one artwork.

The duo gained international recognition in 2015 when artist Damien Hirst purchased their entire exhibition from a London art show. Since then, they have developed the museum concept as a return to the scientific wonder associated with naturalist Charles Darwin. They consider Darwin a third contributor to their work, and one wall display features a series of his busts turned sideways. The building previously housed the Biblical Museum, an irony the artists acknowledge.

Tomáš Vaško, a Slovak living in Amsterdam, toured the museum on a dark October day. He described the experience as a little creepy. The collection is not themed for Halloween, but the dark aesthetic may appeal to visitors looking for a unique spooky season activity. In the display, a cheetah slouches in an alcove under the gaze of a cassowary, while a Japanese giant spider crab stretches its six-foot legs above a doorway beside mastodon leg bones.

Sinke stated that none of the animals in the eclectic collection were taken from the wild. All specimens came from zoos where they died of natural causes, primarily sourced from Europe to ensure the artists knew the history of the animals. He acknowledged that the paperwork for obtaining these specimens can be challenging.

Not every object in the collection is a real animal. Underneath the suspended crocodile, a wall of Jenny Hanivers displays ray carcasses modified into grotesque creatures by 16th-century sailors. These misshapen faces appear to watch museum guests as they move from one caged room to another.

The museum is currently open to the public in Amsterdam. Visitors can view the various taxidermic displays and the architectural elements of the historic canal house.