Twice a year we publish Zevenblad, a magazine for poetry and visual art.

With Zevenblad, we directly reference Plaatsmaken’s history as a publishing house, while at the same time embracing experiment and multidisciplinarity. We firmly believe in bringing different languages together. The magazine is published twice a year and is launched with a festive program full of poetry.

Zevenblad#8 with poetry by Annelie David, Kiki Mulder, Willem Bentvelzen, Tabea Nixdorff and anne krul, Anke van Oostveen, Jasper van den Broek, Annet Zaagsma and Sebastiaan Mets. Art is by Floor Martens, Dominique Panhuysen, Willy de Weerd-Maas, Abel Schaminee & Daan van der Pluijm. Design by Camille Cilja Caspersen from Werkplaats Typografie/ArtEZ.

Zevenblad#7 with poetry by Arno Kramer, Antoin Lender, Inge Winter, Ellen Boersma, Roelof Schipper, Jasper van den Broek, Paul Rigolle & Norbert de Beule. Art is by Femke Vindevogel, Barbara Polderman, Frans van Tartwijk, Emily Kocken, Miyuki Okuyama, Albert van der Weide & Angeline Lips. Design by Camille Cilja Caspersen from Werkplaats Typografie/ArtEZ.

Zevenblad#6 with poetry by Anke van Oostveen, Roelof Schipper, Willem van Zadelhoff, Frank Pollet & Corie Grootendorst. Art is by Geer van der Klugt, Sunflower Soup, Tonni van Sommeren, Bert Scholten & Paul Louis van den Bergh.

Zevenblad#5 with poetry by Ellen Boersma, Tina van Baren, Lieke Gorter, Corie Grootendorst, Annet Zaagsma, Antoin Lender & Rick Kewal Gademann. Art is by van Anne Geene, Aldwin Lehr, Melanie Bosboom, Wilfried Nijhof en Ellen Fleich Gracia. 

Zevenblad#4 is een weerslag van het project Altered Breath in taal en beeld. With poetry by Ananda Serné, Dorien de Wit, Hannah van Binsbergen & Vicky Francke and art by van Marijn van Kreij, Astrid Nobel, Bernice Nauta & Muge Yilmaz

Zevenblad#3 with poetry by Astrid Arns, Maud Nass, Margreet Tjalsma en Annet Zaagsma. Art by Mirjam Kuitenbrouwer, Guusje de Bruin, Marieke Noort, Patty Struik, Melle Mijnhardt, Corine Aalvanger, Lydia Wierenga, Carel Lanters, Lenneke van der Goot, Anne Schoemaker & Karin van Pinxteren. 

Zevenblad#2 with poetry by Willem van Zadelhoff, Marije Langelaar, Maarten Buser, Moeckbert, Ralph Dassen, Méland Langeveld & Nancy de Graaf. Art by Wija de Boer, Joanneke Jouwsma, Astrid Polman, Wim Salki en Floor Martens.

Zevenblad#1 with poetry by Tijs van Bragt, Moeckbert, Arno Kramer, Edwin Fagel en Geert van de Ven. Art by Tamara Kho, Carin Unverzagt, Erik Odijk, Remco Dikken, Choi Wong, Koen Kievits, Frederique van Domburg, Rozemarijn Westerink, PJ Roggeband en Elisabeth Vuez.

0-nummer with poetry by collectiefdichters and art by Hester Louter, Hester Vis, Marten Hendriks & Anand Mahabier.

Abonnement op Zevenblad (jaarlijks 2 exemplaren):
- €27,50 (incl. verzending) per jaar

Zevenblad

Nu te zien: de resultaten van de vierde Ploegendienst, onderdeel van het programma H0ha. 

Ploegendienst 4 | Rizqita Naherta, Not Just a Collective & ROTS
Working period: September - December 2025
Winter Gather Together: 9, 12 and 13 December 2025
On show: January 5 - February 21 2026

Part of the H0Ha programme, curated by the Sunflower Soup collective for Plaatsmaken, Arnhem.

These are the results of the fourth work shift of the multi-year program H0Ha. In H0Ha, the workshops of Plaatsmaken are used to experiment with forms of protest and resistance, through images and language. Poets, visual artists, activists, and publishers are invited to collaborate at Plaatsmaken in so-called ‘Shifts’. H0Ha is curated by the Sunflower Soup collective.

Did you have a grandmother who knitted socks for you? Did she teach you how to do it? And do you have the patience for that time-consuming work?

Handicrafts, such as crocheting, knitting, and sewing, have traditionally been seen as work done by women. It is labor that is often performed at home or in small communities. The maker often remains unpaid and unnamed. This fits into a broader pattern in which women's work is made invisible. At the same time, this labor forms a basis for women to come together, organize, and emancipate themselves.

The Arnhem collective Not just a collective has transformed handicrafts into graphic work. It is precisely this translation that creates a new visibility that makes it possible to reflect on these aspects of handicrafts. Handicrafts are often seen as old-fashioned, but they also carry a history of subversion, resistance, and solidarity.

The artist Rizqita Naherta created an installation that refers to women's emancipation in Indonesia and the important role that the Gerwani movement played in it. This movement is an example of how different forms of emancipation and resistance come together and reinforce each other, because anti-imperialism and decolonization were central to Gerwani. The silkscreen prints feature texts from Gerwani's magazine Api Kartini, printed on images of kebayas (traditional Indonesian clothing for women).

In the practice of artist and poet ROTS, “unravelling” is an important method that is used in both a concrete and metaphorical way: wool from old jumpers is reused for objects with other purposes. A seemingly familiar concept such as “man” is unravelled in order to question what masculinity actually consists of. ROTS created a man cave printed with images of Androgel, a hormone treatment. How should a man behave in his cave? You are welcome to find out for yourself by taking place in the soft interior of this cave, which can also be seen as a manwomb.

What does it mean to pass on handworking techniques in the modern world? Who taught you how to crochet, knit or work with textiles? Did the women you knew mostly do this for leisure, or was it the only work available?

In this textile work, five members of Not Just a Collective — Lu Lin, Femke Kersten, Alessandra Varisco, Doga Gönüllü and Heike Renée de Wit — started from the knowledge and techniques they had learned from their grandmothers. They shared their crochet and knitting skills with each other and with their neighbours at De Nieuwe Hommel community centre. By combining stories and memories from their grandmothers, they translated textile crafts into prints. Using printing techniques such as silkscreen and monoprint, these images were printed onto textiles which were then pieced together. This patchwork is on display in the middle of Plaatsmaken's space. You cannot miss it! The work reminds us of the labour, knowledge and stories of our grandmothers, and of the value of these aspects, which should not be forgotten.

Merawat Api dari Penyihir-Penyihir Militan Kami - Nurturing the Fire of Our Militant Witches

Through the assemblage of archives reactivated from Gerwani’s magazine Api Kartini, the excerpts from the magazine are presented on the many kebaya prints and the bamboo mats within the living room space, as revolutionary passages, poem, and list were recited through the phone and television by exiled relative.

The work holds a space of remembrance for the militant women’s mass organization. Along with the pedagogical activation, the work asks to nurture the memories of Indonesian women’s resistance, and their methods of understanding that are organizing with the masses that is prone to be forgotten in the present, as a result of the historical trauma under Suharto’s regime.

hello I'm a performative male
my mancave is a womb
Dear Virginia, I'm now squatting the room, owning the room, making the room. The that became the (on steroids).

My body on testosterone feels more and more like my own, literally better, stonger. Was it only hormonal dysfunction? Did i just not have enough?

I know the moon, even so far away, was too much for me.

Do I feel more masculine because I'm taking testo or am I masculine and therefore I take testo?

masculinity is transforming
masculinity is tender and often fragile
masculinity relies on stories we tell about how men come into being.
Am I becoming a man by performing the same act again and again and again? I'm never quite reaching, quite being but probably for the better.

Gender is image perpetually cited, repeated, and reproduced. (J. Butler)
this mancave/womb gives shelter to ideas of performative masculinity exposing what Butler calls the machinery of becoming.
Becoming by performing.

my manwomb - an ode to my muses: the matchamen, the soyboys, the softbois, the metromen, the dandies and the hipsters.Onderdeel van het programma H0Ha, gecureerd door collectief Sunflower Soup voor Plaatsmaken, Arnhem.

Now showing | Ploegendienst 4

Plaatsmaken has been showcasing contemporary visual art in the display case in front of the Palace of Justice in Arnhem for several years now. This is based on the idea that encountering art in unexpected places can add a touch of sparkle to your day.

In collaboration with the BEAR (Fine Art) department at ArtEZ, current and former students will have the opportunity to submit a proposal for the showcase. This benefits both parties: young artists gain experience exhibiting, and Plaatsmaken is thus assured of programming young talent directly from the academy.

On display in the showcase from January 9th: People on the Street, by Chenxin Feng

De Uitspraak

Asian Movie Night is coming back to Plaatsmaken with a puppeteering workshop and a short Asian horror film programme.

SHAPES OF FEAR
B-Movie Oddities and Experimental Asian Horror 

Shapes of Fear brings together Asian B-movies, cult oddities, and experimental horror that explore the strange shapes of fear. The program features two Japanese double bills alongside a selection of Asian horror shorts from East and Southeast Asia. From Malay folklore and the Pontianak to cyberpunk body-horror, these films twist genre conventions as bodies mutate, the everyday turns uncanny, and terror slips into laughter.

Rooted in the unruly spirit of the B-movie, these works embrace chaos, camp, and visible seams, revealing cinema as an act of creative rebellion. Horror is at its most compelling when it reveals its own construction. 

Prior to the film program, there will be a puppeteering workshop. This accessible workshop offers an introduction to shadow puppetry and animation. You will bring your own creation to life through simple stop-motion animation exercises.

You can choose to attend both the workshop and the film program, or only the film program.

18:00 – 19:30 | Puppeteering workshop
19:30 – 20:00 | Break with soup
20:00 – 20:05 | Film introduction
20:05 – 21:00 | Shapes of Fear: B-Movie Oddities and Experimental Asian Horror

Tickets via this link . After you sign up, you will receive a payment link.

Ms. Pontianak
Alina Wong | 2021 | 22’ | Malaysia | Malay/English w/ English subtitles 

Ms. Pontianak is a mockumentary-style portrait of a Malaysian actress famous for playing the “pontianak”, a vengeful ghost from Malay folklore. As she questions the triviality of her career the film explores how women and folklore intersect in Southeast Asian horror cinema blending humor and critical reflection.

Asian Girls
Hyun Lee | 2018 | 6’ | Australia | No spoken language

Asian Girls follows Chan, a Chinese factory worker who lives alone. Every night, she suffers from horrific nightmares involving the Japanese office worker who lives in the apartment next door. Apart from mumbled greetings in the hallway they keep to themselves yet every night they appear in one another's nightmares.

Part Forever
Alan Ou Chung-An | 2021 | 13’ | Taiwan | Chinese w/ English subtitles

Part Forever is an atmospheric horror set during a funeral vigil. What begins as a traditional mourning ceremony becomes increasingly unsettling as dark family secrets surface under the candlelit calm. The film transforms a familiar cultural ritual into a site of fear and an emotional exploration of grief, memory and the unsettling truths families attempt to bury.

Deborah Devyn Chuang | 2024 | 22’ | Taiwan | Chinese w/ English subtitle

Strawberry Shortcake centers on 16 year old Lolo whose relationship with her mother becomes a surreal and unsettling Freudian loop. What begins as a seemingly ordinary family moment grows increasingly disturbing as fantasy and reality bleed into each other with a strawberry cake at the center of a dreamlike spiral. The film explores the boundaries between childhood innocence and murky subconscious desires in this transgressive short.

Trigger warning: This film contains sexual and incestuous themes. Viewer discretion is advised.

The workshop offers an accessible introduction to shadow puppetry and animation. Participants will bring their creations to life through simple stop-motion animation exercises. Participants imagine a creature and collectively draw it onto paper. We examine how the puppets move, how different joints create different movements and are made for different characters. The drawings are translated into separate puppet components and assembled into fully functioning shadow puppets with which a short stop-motion video will be created.

Ghazale Moqanaki is a multidisciplinary artist living in the Hague, the Netherlands. She grew up among sounds, objects, and spaces translated through myths and stories, later creating her own stories about objects to feel closer to them. Objects then became her puppets, her music and her thoughts. Ghazale obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Iranian music performance from University of Tehran and graduated in Artistic Research (MFA) at Royal Academy of Art, the Hague, Netherlands. She has shown her work in the Netherlands and Ireland. Alongside, she has performed in art venues like Kunstinstituut Melly, Studio150 in Amsterdam, and the Oerol festival in Terschelling.

Marieke Peeters is a visual artist and curator based in The Hague, the Netherlands. She creates immersive installations, sculptures, and films that combine material research with performance. Her recent work has focused on the obake yashiki, the Japanese haunted house attraction exploring how fear can become a catalyst for connection and reflection. 

Asian Movie Night (AMN) is a diasporic film platform in the Netherlands. It was founded in direct response to the structural lack of Asian representation in the Dutch cultural sector. AMN brings radically different stories and aesthetics to a wide audience, in collaboration with various cultural institutions. With an interdisciplinary approach that brings together film, visual art, design, and conversations, AMN challenges the notion of "Asianness" by breaking down national boundaries and fixed identities.

Asian Movie Night

Starting in January, we will open our doors every Saturday! You're welcome to visit our exhibition between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

Now showing: the results from the fourth Ploegendienst. Read more about the program here.

Open on Saturdays!

The annual event Uitnacht Arnhem takes place on Friday, January 30th. We have a fantastic program again this year. City resident Frank Koolen will present Klei Café 'Just Friends' at Plaatsmaken.

During the two weeks around the Uitnacht, artworks from our depot will also be on display in various shops in Klarendal.

Get to know Frank Koolen's work during Uitnacht Arnhem (Cultural Night Arnhem). Between 16:00-20:00, you can come to create, participate, and exchange ideas!

In 2026, artist, teacher, workshop leader, and organizer Frank Koolen will be a city resident in Arnhem. He creates installations, videos, performances, drawings, and sculptures.

During Uitnacht, you can discover his project FIASCO TOTAAL at Plaatsmaken. Frank enjoys creating work for and with others and wants to share the joy he experiences in art with others. He believes that art in itself shouldn't be anything, but that it can serve as a beautiful starting point for social change or a different consciousness. His main motivation is his enthusiasm for the creative process as a catalyst for an open and empathetic perspective. Key ingredients for Frank are the use of humor, disruption, and improvisation.

In FIASCO TOTAAL, Frank Koolen's research, the creative process is central as a driving force for play, conversation, and new discoveries. It is a dynamic, experimental, and playful investigation into the ways and effects of collectivity, collaboration, and cooperation, in which the process and shared experience are key. The research findings will be presented at various locations, including Plaatsmaken and Omstand. The project consists of several components: STUDIO FIASCO, CIRCUS FIASCO, and FIASCO TOTAL.

The Arnhem City Atelier is a collaboration between Plaatsmaken, Theater aan de Rijn, ArtEZ, and The Hub. Frank Koolen began his residency at OMSTAND at the end of 2025. The project is made possible by the Municipality of Arnhem.

In addition, Het Modekwartier (Fashion Quater), in collaboration with Plaatsmaken, is presenting an art route through the Klarendal neighborhood during Uitnacht Arnhem. For two weeks, you can admire gems from the Plaatsmaken archive at various locations throughout the neighborhood. Be surprised by both the artworks and the businesses in Klarendal. The editions are made by various artists, all created in Plaatsmaken's workshops. The works can be seen from January 23rd to February 6th at participating locations in the neighborhood.

You can also see the results of the work of Ploegendienst 4 during the Uitnacht at Plaatsmaken.

Uitnacht Arnhem

For Windmill de Kroon in Klarendal, Hospitalityclub, in collaboration with Plaatsmaken, realized a large-scale art project in which they designed new sail cloths for the mill. On Saturday February 7th, these cloths will be presented during the 'Warme Winterroute' (Warm Winter Route).

The project was carried out in close collaboration with children from various primary schools in Arnhem and with the mill’s volunteers. During a series of workshops, participants worked on patterns, drawings, and visual elements that together formed the basis for the designs on the sails. Using printing techniques, stencils, and textile experiments, these images were translated onto large cloths, which were then mounted on the mill’s sails.

The cloths for Molen de Kroon are not only a visual artwork, but also emphasize the importance of shared ownership and mutual connection within Arnhem. The sails create a vivid contrast between past and present. They are infused with symbols and patterns that not only reflect the history of the neighborhood, but also the contemporary influences of its residents—from the bat that uses the area as its habitat to children’s drawings inspired by popular memes. The designs are a tribute to the way the current generation interprets and transforms the world around them. This artwork offers a place where old traditions meet new imaginations, and where the mill forms a bridge between past and present, between the voices of then and now.

Presentation | Saturday, 7 February, between 11:00 and 16:00, during the Warme Winterroute in Klarendal
Location | Molen de Kroon (next to Plaatsmaken)

Hospitalityclub is an artist collective and an ongoing project, born out of the need to collaborate and to share, arising from both joy and despair about our shared living environment.

The collective was founded by Krista Burger, Mirka Farabegoli, and Kenneth Letsoin and has been working for more than ten years, in changing constellations, on collaborative projects.

Hospitalityclub creates work in the public realm, where autonomous artistic practice and collective making processes come together. The projects emerge from a shared sense of urgency and engagement with the living environment, and explore how art, born from togetherness, can help cross societal boundaries and create space for shared stories and experiences. At the core of the working method is an egalitarian collaboration with a wide range of participants: visitors, students, local residents, and volunteers. Professional expertise is not the guiding principle; instead, the value of the work arises from the unique insights each participant brings. Through this open approach, the boundaries between maker and viewer become blurred, and collective ownership of the final result emerges.

The works range from printed matter and flags to installations and murals, often made using (reused) materials found on site. Hospitalityclub operates at the intersection of socially engaged practices and contemporary visual art, without separating the two. The work can be presented both in public space and within the context of the art world.

Alongside their autonomous practice, Krista Burger and Mirka Farabegoli develop educational projects in which artistic research and knowledge transfer come together in a natural way. This cross-pollination forms an important foundation of Hospitalityclub: learning through making, in and with one’s own living environment, with attention to equality, collectivity, and shared ownership.

Arnhem Draait Door | Windmill de Kroon

Arnhem Stadsatelier is a collaboration between four Arnhem-based cultural organizations: Theater a/d Rijn, Plaatsmaken, ArtEZ University of the Arts, and The HUB. The goal of this partnership is to make the Arnhem art scene more diverse and accessible, for both artists and the public. New ways of collaborating between art, the public, and society are central to this project.

In the Arnhems Stadsatelier project, working periods are organized in which artists are given the space to conduct artistic research at various locations in Arnhem and share this with the city. There is one long-term trajectory, the city residency. This year it is visual artist Frank Koolen. He has been selected to carry out research connected to the city of Arnhem. In addition, six short residencies are organized, in which emerging artists are given room to experiment, gain experience, further develop their skills, and share their work with the public. They receive support from the collaborating organizations.

At Plaatsmaken, artists are given space to experiment in graphic workshops and the exhibition space. Theater aan de Rijn provides a stage and helps reach an appropriate audience. ArtEZ offers support through the online platform APRIA, guidance with research questions, and connections with programs and students. The Hub connects students, autodidacts, and alumni, and helps residents take their first steps into the professional cultural field.

The city resident of 2026 is artist, teacher, workshop leader, and organizer Frank Koolen. He creates installations, videos, performances, drawings, and sculptures. Frank enjoys making work for and with others and likes to share the joy he himself experiences in art. He believes that art does not have to be anything in particular, but that it can be a beautiful starting point for social change or a different kind of awareness. His main driving force is his enthusiasm for the creative process as an engine for an open and empathetic perspective. Important ingredients for Frank include the use of humor, disruption, and improvisation. In FIASCO TOTAAL, Frank Koolen’s research project, the creative process as a driving force for play, dialogue, and new discoveries takes center stage. It is a dynamic, experimental, and playful exploration of the methods and effects of collectivity, “working together,” and collaboration, in which the process and the shared experience are central. In 2025, Frank Koolen began his city residency at art space OMSTAND in Arnhem.

Throughout the year, six emerging artists are given space to experiment at Plaatsmaken and Theater aan de Rijn. Updates on public activities can be found on the partners’ websites. The outcomes of the research will be presented at various locations across the city. At the end of 2025, several presentations and workshops by Koolen took place at Omstand.

Arnhems Stadsatelier is made possible by the Municipality of Arnhem.

In 2024, social theatre maker Abhishek Thapar was the city's resident artist. His research focused on invisible kitchen workers in the hospitality industry. His project, Lacuna Kitchen, focused on bringing together theatre, gastronomy, community building, and social activism. In addition, emerging theatre makers Ro Smit, Mel Kikkert, Levi Overvest, and Charlotte Gillain developed their practice at Plaatsmaken and Theater a/d Rijn. Their work focused on social themes. The results of their residencies were presented in exhibitions, performances, and workshops.

Read more about the previous edition here.

Arnhems Stadsatelier 2026

Arnhems Stadsatelier is a brand-new collaboration between four cultural organizations in Arnhem: Theater a/d Rijn, Plaatsmaken, ArtEZ, and The Hub. 

Five artists are given the space and opportunity to conduct artistic research in various locations across Arnhem in the coming months and share their work with the city's residents, students, and each other. The program encourages unique collaborations between people and organizations in Arnhem and breaks artistic boundaries through cross-disciplinary and innovative research.

Social theater by Abhishek Thapar turns the spotlight on invisible kitchen workers in the hospitality industry. Lacuna Kitchen is a community arts project where theater, gastronomy, community-building, and social activism come together in a long-term research process and a performance that engages both the intellect and the heart.  

Additionally, four emerging creators—Ro Smit, Mel Kikkert, Levi Overvest, and Charlotte Gillain—are conducting their research at Plaatsmaken and Theater a/d Rijn, taking their first steps into the cultural field. Their work touches on social themes and is characterized by diverse analog and digital art forms, exploring new ways to experience art.  

Arnhems Stadsatelier is made possible with support from the municipality of Arnhem.  

Sharing Experiences, Methods, and Research  

Creating art across different domains requires diverse approaches. A key principle of Arnhems Stadsatelier is to share the research, experiences, and methods that precede the final works. In addition to public events, the research will be documented through various (online) publications, videos, photo reports, and interviews with the artists, conducted by curator, art journalist, lecturer, and moderator Lieneke Hulshof. Post-show discussions will be organized with audiences and participants.  

Abhishek Thapar will involve ArtEZ students in his research on social-artistic work and his documentary-style approach to storytelling. The Hub will develop programs centered around sharing artistic research.  

The four partner organizations believe in giving a new generation of makers the space to experiment with new forms of art across various disciplines. With this initiative, they highlight Arnhem as a city where makers can continue to develop their craft, even after completing a creative or artistic education. The artistic research at Arnhems Stadsatelier delves into audience engagement, reaching those who do not naturally encounter art, and fostering cross-disciplinary work.  

The pilot edition of Arnhems Stadsatelier runs from September 2024 to February 2025. Create in Arnhem!  

Want to participate in a project? Sign up via fleur@residentiesarnhem.nl  

Follow the latest updates on Instagram: @arnhems_stadsatelier

Image: Mel Kikkert photographed by Lisa Kraaijeveld 

The Indian-Dutch theater maker and storyteller Abhishek Thapar creates visually striking and intimate performances that blur the line between documentary and fiction. He intertwines personal narratives with major global themes.  

Now settling in Arnhem for his latest project, Lacuna Kitchen, Thapar will premiere this work at Theater a/d Rijn in April 2025. It is neither an ordinary restaurant, a traditional theater production, nor a typical community project, but rather a fusion—where the kitchen becomes a stage for transformation.  

Lacuna Kitchen creates a space where the stories of others—particularly those of kitchen workers with a migration background—are brought to light. Through shared experiences of food and storytelling, Abhishek Thapar aims to build cultural and emotional bridges, fostering deep understanding and healing.  

During the research phase, audiences will have the opportunity to join Kitchen Telling Events, where these stories come to life.  

Learn more about Abhishek Thapar’s project here.

Graduated in 2023 (BEAR ArtEZ), Ro Smit invites the audience to participate in workshops that culminate in a collective exhibition, focusing on memories and their loss. He explores how objects gain meaning through memories and conducts research on screen printing techniques at Plaatsmaken.  

Learn more about Ro Smit’s project here.

Graduated in 2023 (BEAR ArtEZ), Levi Overvest ventures into Klarendal, gathering topics through a democratic voting process that reflect the concerns of young residents in Arnhem. These themes serve as inspiration for new work, which he will create at Plaatsmaken. Levi is researching screen printing on ceramics. The resulting artworks will be exhibited in public spaces in Klarendal and at Plaatsmaken.  

Learn more about Levi Overvest’s project here.

Graduated in 2023 (Creative Writing ArtEZ), Mel Kikkert is fascinated by the internet and its inhabitants, exploring interpretations of this world. They push the boundaries between the virtual and the physical realms. Topics such as role-playing and the distance between fantasy and reality are central to their work. At Theater a/d Rijn, Mel is investigating theater as a medium and creating new work through words, images, and digital tools.

Graduated in 2021 (Mime Training AHK), Charlotte Gillain works from the body and seeks to make the way our brain stores memories tangible. Together with designer Zak Lennard, they explore the physical experience of remembering and visualize this inner world through digital design.

Arnhems Stadsatelier

On Saturday, February 21, we will close the Ploegendienst 5 exhibition with a teach-in by Rizqita Naherta and Nabila Ernada.

During this closing teach-in (out), Rizqita Naherta will activate their installation 'Merawat Api dari Penyihir-Penyihir Militan Kami – Nurturing the Fire of Our Militant Witches' for the second time. Rizqita created this installation during their working period at Plaatsmaken, as part of the H0ha program. The exhibition is on view until Saturday, February 21.

For this second pedagogical activation Rizqita has invited Nabila Ernada to discuss her newest publication “Out of Sight”, in which she examines the interconnection between state-control media and gender surveillance with reproductive autonomy in Indonesia, as she traces back archives from colonial governance to Suharto’s New Order regime and today’s digital infrastructure. 

“Through feminist and hidden networks, the work reveals how resistance endures through invisibility, misdirection, and coded care.”

You can book a spot through the sign up button on this page.

When | Saturday, Februari 21st from 14:30 - 16:30h
Location | Plaatsmaken
Access | Free

Nabila Ernada (She/Her) is a design researcher and media artist based in Rotterdam. Her work looks at the crossover between surveillance and resistance, examining how media and technological systems help shape visibility, legality, and the body–with a strong focus on Indonesian histories and Dutch colonial past. She works with text, film, and installation, using a feminist perspective to reflect on sound, archives, and bureaucratic systems. Nabila has studied Media Studies and Social Design at Universitas Indonesia and Design Academy Eindhoven.

Rizqita Naherta is a cultural worker, organiser, and archivist-researcher working collaboratively to nurture archival knowledge of Indonesian queer-marginalized communities and women’s resistance movements that are prone to be forgotten, misapprehended, and lost. Their practice manifests in the assemblage of various living archives built from old scattered media and the stories told in the everyday. Giving homage to their elders that came before them, and recirculating their spirit in the contemporary to counter historical amnesia.

Teach-in: 'Nurturing the fire of our militant witches'

Route maps are available free of charge at Plaatsmaken.

Art route Schuytgraaf has been completed. Across the Arnhem district, five permanent public artworks have been realized.

 Stichting Plaatsmaken was commissioned by the Municipality of Arnhem to develop this route and enlisted Arnhem-based curator Fleur Junier to shape its content.  

The four artworks reflect the identity of the neighborhood: its landscape character, historical background, and the evolving identity of the community and its residents. Each piece has been created specifically for its location. A diverse group of artists was selected, varying in age, background, and gender. All of them have a unique, distinctive approach, a strong connection to the region, and have actively engaged with the neighborhood and its people. The route is further enriched by a Poetry Route, displayed on several utility boxes in Schuytgraaf.  

The goal of Art Route Schuytgraaf is to enhance the quality of public space, improve livability, and foster a sense of recognition and connection. The artworks serve as meeting points, landmarks, and invitations for dialogue or contemplation.  

Alderman Cathelijne Bouwkamp is pleased with the initiative:  

"Public art is of great importance to Arnhem. Art has the power to surprise and inspire, and I expect this route to do just that. It is wonderful to see residents involved in the project. The fact that commissions are primarily given to regional artists also strengthens our visual arts sector."  

Art Route Schuytgraaf is for everyone—local residents, visitors from the region, or tourists exploring Arnhem. The route can be experienced on foot or by bike, and each artwork can also be enjoyed individually. A QR code at each piece provides digital information about the work and its artist. The route also has its own Instagram page—don’t forget to tag us in your favorite artwork! #kunstrouteschuytgraaf #stichtingplaatsmaken  

Plaatsmaken drew on its extensive experience to create this route. In 2019, during Biënnale Gelderland in downtown Arnhem, the foundation demonstrated its ability to curate a compelling art route featuring Gelderland-based artists for a broad audience.  

"For Plaatsmaken, it is essential to serve as a platform for artists and to bring art to the people. This project strongly embodies both elements," says Inge Pollet, Artistic Director of Plaatsmaken.  

Many parties participated in the realization of the art route: the feedback group consisting of experts and residents, the project team of the Municipality of Arnhem. The artists involved and the many executive producers, but also the primary schools involved and their students and teachers, education professionals, district coordinators and landscape architects.

Art Route Schuytgraaf was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Municipality of Arnhem, the Mondriaan Fund, and BPD Cultuurfonds.

Steel, Polyurethane, polyurea with NCS blue coating paint

Next to the railway, between the river Rijn and Arnhem Zuid station, an eight-meter-high sculpture rises. An abstract, irregular tube that extends in all directions, like a three-dimensional doodle. The deep Persian blue contrasts sharply with the green and brown that dominate the surrounding environment. This ‘doodle’, a quick, partly unconscious gesture, a starting point for an action, idea, or concept, contrasts with the planned, orderly layout and design of the neighborhood. The location next to the railway was chosen deliberately. The artwork serves as a striking landmark visible from the train. From the train window, the piece may read two-dimensionally, like a framed abstract drawing or signature.

In the expressive work of Arash Fakhim (1987, Tehran), materiality, the looseness and speed of the gesture, and the play between flatness and spatiality are central. A recurring theme in Fakhim’s practice is the desire to clash with the imposed rules of the medium. Instead of opting for a more traditional material like metal or stone for a public artwork, he chooses polyurethane, the raw material of spray foam, which he coats with a waterproof layer. A metal frame provides form and stability. He shapes the form and surface of the 60-meter-long tube by hand to emphasize expressiveness and looseness.

Fakhim was invited to respond to the landscape of the neighborhood with his work. The artist is fascinated by the neat, linear layout of our landscape, in contrast to, for example, his home country, Iran. He has intensively researched how his work behaves in the boundless public space. Fakhim has sought abstraction and timelessness without sacrificing spontaneity and boldness.

Arash Fakhim, born in Iran, lives and works in Arnhem. In 2016, he graduated from BEAR (fine art) at ArtEZ, Arnhem. His work is included in Collectie De Groen, the collection of Akzo Nobel Art Foundation, and museum De Fundatie.

Find more information here about the completion of 'A Doodle' by Arash Fakhim.

In the artwork ‘Time Keepers’ by Femke Herregraven (1982, Nijmegen), the future of Schuytgraaf, imagined and told by the children of Schuytgraaf, is buried as a time capsule in the hill next to ‘De Speelgaard’. The hill is cut through by two eight-meter-long walls, on which various ‘Time Keepers’ drawn by children are depicted in reverse relief. They guard the time capsule, which lies beneath the floor of the ‘hall’ and will be excavated in ten years.

Herregraven was commissioned to reflect on the young identity of the neighborhood. Both the residents and the buildings are very young, with the first houses built in 2004. Compared to other neighborhoods in the Netherlands, there are many families with young children. Herregraven asked the children of Schuytgraaf, whom she refers to as the ‘professional dreamers of the future,’ for their vision of the future of the neighborhood. Students from four elementary schools in Schuytgraaf went on a journey of exploration during five lessons. They went on a neighborhood safari with a biologist to fantasize about the future flora and fauna of their neighborhood, and embarked on a journey with a poet to think about language. The material from this research (drawings, clay works, videos, audio recordings, and photos) forms part of the time capsule, as well as the ‘Time Keepers’ radio play, based on their stories.

The form of the artwork, two walls cutting through a hill, is inspired by ‘Land Art’. A movement that responds to landscape features and interventions made in the landscape to create a new experience of the place. The straight, rigid walls contrast with the natural surroundings. The warm terracotta color of the concrete walls stands out against the greenery, further highlighting the hill in the otherwise flat landscape.

Visual artist Herregraven is interested in power systems and the connection between financial markets, international law, geopolitics, ethics, and climate change. In her work, she translates these abstract, complex notions into poetic, playful, sensory works. Femke Herregraven is an alumna of the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam (2017-2018). In 2019, she was nominated for the Prix de Rome. She was also Creator Doctus (practice-oriented PhD) at the Sandberg Institute (2020-2023).

The artwork by Femke Herregraven has been finished in December 2025 and will be officially opened on April 2nd, 2026.

Concrete, Steel and Archaeological Objects

The Japanese-born artist Keiko Sato (1957, Iwaki-City, Japan) was invited to reflect on the rich history of the neighborhood. Archaeological findings show that Schuytgraaf was already inhabited seven thousand years ago. The Middle and Late Iron Ages, the Roman period, and the early Middle Ages have all left their traces in the area, as has the Second World War. Sato, the daughter of a kamikaze pilot, is fascinated by this war. In Echoes from the Past, her interest in wartime and the theme of lingering traces—a recurring motif in her work—come together.

The dome-shaped object is a ‘shelter’, referring to bunkers from the Second World War. The two halves of the structure form a broken egg, symbolizing destruction, but at the same time, they represent a new beginning. Inside, a floor installation made with metal archaeological finds from the area is on display. These are firmly embedded in concrete; after all, we can no longer change our past. The opening between the two ‘eggshells’ provides a view of the sky and lets in light. Thus, the shelter also becomes a place for hope and freedom.

The location of the work—at the foot of a hill in the ecological zone, a kind of no-man’s-land in the center of the neighborhood—is an essential part of the experience. When Sato first stood in this open, exposed place, she thought of the historically charged events of 1944, when Allied paratroopers were dropped during Operation Market Garden and fell into a German ambush. The openness of the site emphasized for her the vulnerability of the soldiers.

Keiko Sato, who now lives in Nijmegen, originally worked as a midwife in Fukushima. From 1989 to 1993, she studied at Goldsmiths College in London and from 1993 to 1995 at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. In her practice—often floor installations made from everyday or ephemeral materials—contrasts such as destruction and creation, as well as the intersection of personal and global history, are central themes.

Find more information here about the unveiling of Keiko Sato’s Echo from the Past.

A clumsy, somewhat 'grumpy' water nymph seems to have just emerged from beneath the water's surface. Her head is covered with water plants, the glossy surface still appearing wet from the water. The young artist Larissa Esvelt (1998, Wageningen) was commissioned to respond to the landscape and specifically the ubiquitous water in the neighborhood. The two-meter-high ceramic water nymph is located in the canoe pond: one of the defining areas of the neighborhood, notably long and wide. From here, you can see from the center of the neighborhood all the way to the Veluwe Massif.

Esvelt was inspired by historical, classical fountains and water artworks. But above all, by what exists beneath the water: the water plants, mussels, fish, and the wealth of color shades of the ever-changing water surface. For Larissa, the figure is a manifestation of the mysterious, the hidden, and the wonderful that lies beneath the surface of not only the water but also the neighborhood as a whole. The high-gloss glaze in shades of green, blue, and brown has been carefully chosen and directly refers to the color shades of the water. The leaves on her head hang heavily over the body and are playfully stylized. The plants also grow in reality on the bottom of the pond. Beneath the figure is a shell, a swan mussel, a species found in Schuytgraaf.

Ceramics can be made extra durable through a special recipe, fired at high temperatures, and by adding materials such as flax, making it highly suitable for public spaces. The work is baked in separate parts and assembled using mortar. The structure and form of the sculpture make it extremely strong and stable.

Esvelt often works with materials and techniques traditionally considered feminine, such as textiles and ceramics. She gives a twist to familiar motifs in art, such as the female body. This is often central to her work, depicted in exaggerated, absurd poses. Her work is, on one hand, appealing due to its rich, humorous, and imaginative character, but on the other hand, it has an uncomfortable quality. She tries to create space and empathy for the 'strange.'

Larissa Esvelt lives and works in Arnhem and The Hague. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at BEAR ArtEZ, Arnhem, in 2020. Starting in 2024, she is pursuing a Master's in Artistic Research at the KABK in The Hague.

Find more information here about the completion of the work 'De Nimf' by Larissa Esvelt.

Steel, aluminum, cast glass, LED lighting, and solar panel  

The observation point Take Off by Rob Voerman (1966, Deventer) resembles a spaceship. It gives the impression that it has just landed but may take off again at any moment. Many residents of Schuytgraaf have also 'landed' in the neighborhood from elsewhere and must find their place or may leave in the future. The tower stands on a hill in an open area in the middle of Schuytgraaf. To the north, you can see the Veluwe Massif. The south side offers a view of Park Lingezegen. The east and west provide a panoramic view of the neighborhood. The observation point has two entrances or exits, giving it an open and inviting character. It is also a striking landmark, visible from many places in Schuytgraaf. The red light flashing from the 'antenna' in the evening serves as a beacon.  

Voerman was commissioned to deepen the landscape character of the neighborhood. Schuytgraaf, divided into 27 districts, is exceptionally green for a Vinex development. The area was designed to highlight the original Betuwe landscape, resulting in long green zones with meadows, orchards, and ecological corridors between the neighborhoods. With the observation point, the artist aims to emphasize the open, natural character of the location. Voerman personally (with assistance) built the structure, made of aluminum and cast glass components. With the handmade character of the tower, featuring thick welds and irregular shapes, he provides a surprising counterbalance to the neat architecture that characterizes the neighborhood.  

This is the first time that a permanent work by the Arnhem-based artist, who is active worldwide, has been placed in his own city. His work primarily consists of architectural objects reminiscent of basic, primitive structures such as huts or shelters, but also incorporating futuristic, utopian elements. Space travel is a recurring theme in his work, along with industrial architecture and Brutalism, where the function of a building strongly determines its form. By combining order, structure, and balance with chaos, transience, and deconstruction, he provides commentary on the over-organized society of modern times.  

Rob Voerman lives and works in Arnhem. He studied sculpture at CABK Constantijn Huygens in Kampen from 1990 to 1996. Voerman exhibits his work worldwide, and his pieces are included in collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.  

Find more information here about the completion of Take Off by Rob Voerman.

Art Route Schuytgraaf is a project by the Stichting Productiehuis Plaatsmaken, which was developed at the request of the Municipality of Arnhem.

Art Route Schuytgraaf was created by generous contributions from the Municipality of Arnhem, the Mondriaan Fund and the BPD Culture Fund.

Team Plaatsmaken:
Inge Pollet (artistic director), Fleur Junier (curator), Fleur Lamers (project leader), Berna Lohman (project employee), Derk Müller (project employee), Leonne Verweij (project employee), Menno Wieringa (poetry route), Maurice van Brummelen (video)

Team municipality of Arnhem: Diede Beumer, Gerben Uffing, Berry Saalmink, Caroline Kobus, Tamara Bod, Sandra van Winden, Jillis Verbeek

Artist: Arash Fakhim, Larissa Esvelt, Femke Herregraven, Rob Voerman, Keiko Sato

Poets: Maarten Buser, Marije Langelaar, Francis Nagy, Roos Marijn Peperkamp, Tim Lenders, Marieke Polderdijk, Willem van Zadelhoff

Sounding board group: Marij Nielen, Rob Groot Zevert, Julius Thissen, Sylvia Groosman, Abe Veenstra, Onno Heijsman

Producers: Fons Snelders, Job Saltzherr, Struktuur 68, Zuliani Kunst en Terrazzo, Dutch Coating Company, Isopur Installatie, Nina Waanders en Natasja Wagendorp, De Groot Reklame.

With thanks to: Municipality of Arnhem, the Mondriaan Fund, BPD Cultuur Fonds, participating schools: De Salamander, Confetti, Het Jongleren en de Schatgraaf. Riel Berenbroek, Doeko Pinxt, Niels Engel, Werkplaats Typografie, Andre Damen en Maria Davids (De Vierkrant)

Art route Schuytgraaf

On Friday, February 27, we will open the exhibition Amice (Collega) by Klaas Gubbels.

Since its founding, Plaatsmaken has maintained a warm friendship with Klaas Gubbels. He has taken part in many projects, and to this day his large woodcuts are still printed in-house with us. We are therefore very pleased to announce a special exhibition, presented as an interruption to our ongoing artistic program.

In 1956, Klaas took a photograph of the graves of Theo and Vincent van Gogh. Now, 70 years later, he had a silkscreen print made - at Plaatsmaken - from this image, as the image deeply moved him. For two weeks, we will present only this new silkscreen print. (webshop)

The exhibition will be opened on Friday, February 27 at 4:00 PM by Willem van Gogh.

Opening | February 27 at 4:00 PM
On view | February 27 through March 14


Previously, we made a documentary about Klaas Gubbels as part of the Oogmerk series, our long-running collection of film portraits of artists from Gelderland. You can watch it here.
You can find more works by Klaas Gubbels in our webshop.

Klaas Gubbels | Amice (Collega)

We are very happy to be a voting office again on March 18. It is always a fun day, with many visitors and interesting conversations. Now that we have a somewhat activist program, it adds an extra dimension to an already lively discourse. Be sure to vote at Plaatsmaken, and in the meantime, take a look at our Spring Gather Together in progress.

Voting at Plaatsmaken

Open Call | Submissions for Zevenblad #10

For the tenth issue of our magazine Zevenblad, poetry and visual work can be submitted.

As with previous editions, there is no central theme. Often, the submissions selected by the editors later turn out to share a common thread. At one point, it revolved around daffodils, and the last issue (9) featured a striking number of contributions in which a free form or scribble could be recognized—even in the poems. After an Open Call, the editorial team selects a cohesive whole from the submissions.

Zevenblad is a magazine for poetry and visual art, published twice a year by Plaatsmaken. The design is handled by Werkplaats Typografie. Zevenblad #10 will be published in June in an edition of 100 copies.

The submission deadline is May 1. Please note: only WORD files will be considered for poetry, and JPEG files for visual work. Send your work to uitgeverij@plaatsmaken.nl.

Submissions for Zevenblad #10

Launch of renewed platform | Beeldende Kunst Arnhem & Nijmegen

Plaatsmaken is the lead organization of Beeldende Kunst Arnhem. BKA is a platform that connects art organizations and is committed to the visibility of visual arts in Arnhem.

Last year, we worked together with our Nijmegen partners (BKN) and design agency Studio Another Day on a complete renewal of our visual identity. On Thursday, March 26, we will launch this renewed platform in a festive manner at 4:00 PM at the NYMA Makersplaats (Winselingseweg 16) in Nijmegen.

16.00u | Walk in
16.30u | Official opening by BKA/BKN and Noël Vergunst, Councilor of Culture Nijmegen
17.30u | Performance by Broken Toaster Records
19.00u | End

Would you like to attend? Then sign up via this link.

Launch of renewed platform  BKA & BKN

Time Out, Tune In: View your body as an archival site: which intergenerational stories are nested there?

On Saturday the 25th of April, Nyata Collective will host a Batik workshop where we will look into textiles as an archive, a silent witness of daily life. What intergenerational knowledge is embedded in our bodies, held by what we wear? How can we bring invisible voices to life?

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Plaatsmaken is closed on a few days in April.