Cosplay lets a costume do the talking

Editors · 10 October 2026

Cosplay – the exhibition is now open at Design Museum Den Bosch. Cosplayers lent the costumes and helped shape a show about self-expression, gender and originality.

Design Museum Den Bosch, formerly known as Stedelijk Museum ’s-Hertogenbosch. · Photo: G.Lanting / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image

Cosplay turns a costume into a way of showing a character and sometimes oneself. The exhibition at Design Museum Den Bosch opened on 3 October and runs through 21 March 2027. The museum calls it Europe’s first large-scale museum exhibition on cosplay.

The show presents dozens of costumes. Cosplayers lent all the costumes and accessories, and nearly a hundred took part in consultation sessions. The objects therefore come not only from a collection but also from the community that makes and wears cosplay.

The exhibition explores cosplay as self-expression and a way to engage with gender, as well as its role in political protest and younger generations’ ideas about originality, authenticity and commerce. These topics become part of how visitors look at costume and character.

AI image for illustration. Generic AI illustration of a fantasy costume on a mannequin; not an object from the exhibition. · AI image for illustration

Curator Maan Leo worked with designers Bart Hess and Grietje Schepers on the exhibition design. The press release describes it as their first complete exhibition design.

Visitors may come in cosplay. Large props, including wings and long swords, should stay at home: items brought into the exhibition should in principle be no larger than A4. The exhibition is wheelchair accessible and includes a low-stimulation room called the Spie.

A series of paired tours with a cosplayer begins on Sunday 18 October. October workshops include making a paper cosplay wig on 14 or 25 October and a painting session on 21 or 24 October.

The museum at De Mortel 4 is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm, and on the first Thursday of each month for an evening opening from 7 to 10 pm. Admission is €15 for adults aged 30 and over and €7.50 for visitors aged 18 to 29; under-18s and Museum Card holders enter free.