Until March 31st, the interactive exhibition ONGEKEND.WEESP can be visited for free at the Weesp Museum. What makes the old fortified town and its residents so special?
Maria Mihailova, project manager of the art and storytelling project, stated, “Last year, I issued a call in the local media to residents of Weesp and Driemond to share their stories. I received beautiful responses from all sides. In conversations with the residents, she gathered beautiful and intimate stories; from a woman from Afghanistan to a snack bar owner who cares for the youth.” Maria added, “These stories have been compiled into a magazine and form the basis for the artworks that will be showcased during the exhibition.” She commissioned four artists to create a creative interpretation of the stories. The exhibition is a composition of various art forms; from a photo exhibition and light installation to an audio work.
One of the artists is performer and singer Karlijn Hamer. “I focused on the role of language in the interaction between the residents of Weesp,” Karlijn explains. “The collected conversations with the participants serve as the basis for an audio fragment that visitors can listen to with headphones.”
In addition to Karlijn Hamer, the exhibition features contributions from visual artist Herman Lamers, dancer Goda Zukauskaite, and photographers Donata Kukyte and Reinier van der Aart. Together, they provide an intimate glimpse into the shared stories. The exhibition is open to the public from February 23 to March 31, 2024, free of charge.
Accompanying the exhibition is a beautiful magazine featuring stories and art from the residents of Weesp. See the magazine (in Dutch) below:
Museum Weesp is located on the second floor of the Weesp City Hall, a National Monument built between 1772 and 1776. The monumental Civic Hall is adorned with rich plasterwork by the architect, Jacob Otten Husly. Well worth a visit.
Museum Weesp, Nieuwstraat 70-a. www.museumweesp.nl
On October 27, 2025, Amsterdam will celebrate its 750th anniversary. To commemorate this, cultural activities are already taking place in the lead-up to the anniversary year, which officially begins on October 27, 2024. The ONGEKEND.WEESP project is part of the anniversary program.
