No human, animal, or plant exists in isolation. Our existence always unfolds in symbiosis, in relation to the other—from family and community to landscapes and underground networks. We move through the stories that preceded us and leave new traces of our own. At the same time, this connectedness is not a fixed or singular given.
In the exhibition Inseparably Linked, curated by Roísín Douglas, five artists explore the ways in which lives become intertwined. Sometimes out of necessity, through the depiction of alternative realities or via collective experimentation. Sometimes by digging into family archives, retrieving memories, and reconstructing them. And sometimes by making space for ambiguous loss; such as the longing for a place or person that is no longer there, but never truly disappears. The artists investigate their own backgrounds and roots, taking shape through textiles, ceramics, photography, painting, and the use of artificial intelligence.
How do these new, alternative forms of connection work, and which ones can inspire our relationships today? How can we reshape and better understand them? Rooted in relationships that have preceded us, these practices are part of a fabric that is constantly in motion yet remains inseparably linked.
You can visit the exhibition from friday April 24th until Sunday June 21st.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers
Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers is a collective of African American women from Gee’s Bend, an isolated community in Alabama, USA, which originated from a community of descendants of enslaved people on a former cotton plantation. Since the 19th century, they have passed down the tradition of quilting from generation to generation. The video portrait in the exhibition captures the quilting process of quiltmakers Rita Mae Pettway (1941) and Louisiana P. Bendolph (1960).
Sander Coers
Sander Coers (1997) is a Rotterdam-based visual artist working with photography. In his work, he explores how memories are shaped and passed down within families. By manipulating and repurposing existing imagery, he demonstrates that memories are not fixed, but constantly changing. His work invites us to reflect on what we remember, what we forget, and how those processes shape us. In the exhibition, he presents a selection of works from the series Summer Came Eventually, and in Eulogy, he delves into his own family archive.
Justus de Rode
Justus de Rode (1997) is a visual artist based in Amsterdam. While his work is rooted in photography, it also spans various other media. With a background in social sciences and film and photography studies, he explores how we perceive the world and assign meaning to what we see. In the series A Glimpse into the Mind, the central focus is his relationship with his father, which is gradually changing due to Alzheimer’s. During walks in the woods together, a visual dialogue emerges in which photography and painting converge: Justus creates images that his father then intuitively paints over.
Tara-Eva Kuijpers Wentink
Tara-Eva Kuijpers Wentink (1996) is a Dutch artist based in Amsterdam. In her practice, she explores organic, amorphous forms that evoke the interior of the human body. Through her sculptural installations, she creates environments that invite the viewer to catch a glimpse of another, almost corporeal world. In the exhibition, she presents artworks made of ceramics, textiles, and metal, which together form organic structures: soft and fleshy, yet also sharp and unruly.
Lieve van Meegen Lieve van Meegen (1994) is a visual artist working in Vessem and Groningen. For Lieve, life and art are inextricably linked. Her practice moves between painting and performance, and originates from encounter and collaboration. In the exhibition, she presents her most recent work, Sandwi(t)ch, inspired by her octobodies, in which she outlines the contours of bodies that merge into hybrid, many-armed creatures.
OPENING
Come to the opening of the exhibition on Friday April 24th!
17:00 walk-in
17:30 welcome word
catering by Justé
20:00 end opening
PUBLIC PROGRAM
During the exhibition you can join various activities for free.
Workshop ‘Make your own mini-zine’ by artist Diana Ferro
wednesday april 29th & zaterdag 2 mei | 13.30–16.00h
Suitable for all ages.
Transform everyday materials and office supplies into your own mini-zine and let your imagination run wild. Together with Diana Ferro, you will experiment with cutting, pasting, and unexpected combinations. Unleash your creativity and go home with your very own pocket-sized artwork.
Workshop ‘Deisign your ownn hybrid creature’ by artist Tara-Eva Kuijpers Wentink
Saturday May 16th | 13.30 – 16:00h
Suitable for all ages.
Step into the imaginative world of Tara-Eva Kuijpers Wentink and let the boundaries between human, animal, and plant blur. Design and create your own hybrid plant-creature using Fimo clay. Together, we will build a new fictional world in miniature and, at the end of the workshop, take a glimpse at its extraordinary inhabitants.
Guided tour by curator Roísín Douglas Saturday, May 30 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Explore the exhibition together with the curator. Roísín Douglas will guide you past the artworks and show you how artists speculate about our intertwined lives. Ask questions, discover new perspectives, and dive deeper into the stories.
Workshop ‘Analog AI’ by Siska Alkema
Saturday June 13th | 13.30 – 16:00h
Geschikt voor alle leeftijden
Give your memories a second life. Dig through your family archive or your phone and choose images that resonate with you. Print them at VHDG and get to work: cut, tear, and paint. Just like artist Sander Coers, you will build a layered collage in which memories shift and new meanings emerge.
UNGOING ACTIVITY at the CREATEtable
Every tuesday – sundag from 12.00 – 17.00h
Quilt it – your way! Bring your own piece of textile, such as a tea towel or item of clothing, or choose a scrap from our stock. Get to work and process, print, paint, or embroider it entirely in your own style. Leave your creation at VHDG and see how all the individual pieces come together after the exhibition Inseparably Linked to form one unique, collective art quilt.
