Sunken Treasures

In the exhibition ‘Sunken Treasures’ at the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics, eight shipwrecks reveal their secrets. They are all ships that sank along the Maritime Silk Road. Metaphorical installations for the presentation of each wreck, refer to the historical insights that its cargo, mainly ceramics, has given us. Visitors can “dive along” these hidden stories and learn about battles between Spanish and Portuguese ships, human dramas, and globalization. Heartbreaking eyewitness stories explain the miserable conditions on the ships, while the displayed objects are the evidence of the lively international trade. By combining these historical stories and metaphorical installations Studio Louter and OPERA Amsterdam created an exhibition about the treasures of information behind the treasures of ceramics.