Edward & Nancy Kienholz, The Hoerengracht, 1983 – 1988. Courtesy of L.A. Louver, Venice, CA
Five years in the making, Edward and Nancy Kienholz’s installation The Hoerengracht captures the essence of Amsterdam’s Red Light District of days past. A play on words, The Hoerengracht translates from Dutch to “the Whores Canal” and references the Herengracht (Gentlemen’s Canal), a prestigious Amsterdam thoroughfare. The artist couple made the work, a massive installation that recreates a section of the infamous Wallen district, while living in Berlin in the 1980s. Researched in the brothels of sex workers and constructed from materials found in flea markets and salvage yards, it depicts a provocative realm with empathy and wit.
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