Over the past year, Arnhems Stadsatelier offered five artists the space and opportunity to conduct artistic research in various locations throughout the city and to share their work with the residents of Arnhem, with students, and with each other. Arnhems Stadsatelier is a collaboration between four cultural organizations in Arnhem: Theater a/d Rijn, Plaatsmaken, ArtEZ, and The Hub. The program encourages collaboration between individuals and institutions in Arnhem and breaks down artistic boundaries through cross-disciplinary and innovative research.

Social theatre maker Abhishek Thapar turned his lens on invisible kitchen workers within the hospitality industry. Lacuna Kitchen is a community arts project where theatre, gastronomy, community building, and social activism converge.

In addition, four emerging makers — Ro Smit, Levi Overvest, Mel Kikkert, and Charlotte Gillain — carried out their artistic research at Plaatsmaken and Theater a/d Rijn. They were introduced to presenting their work to an audience. Their projects engaged with social themes and were characterized by a variety of analog and digital art forms, as well as new ways of experiencing art. The outcomes of their residencies were presented in exhibitions, performances, and workshops.

Arnhems Stadsatelier is made possible with the support of the Municipality of Arnhem.

Premiere: Lacuna Kitchen

The Indian-Dutch theatre maker and storyteller Abhishek Thapar creates visual and intimate performances that balance between documentary and fiction. He connects personal narratives with global themes. In collaboration with the Lacuna Kitchen collective and Afra Tafri Creations, the team explored, during their residency at Arnhems Stadsatelier, how migration and colonialism have shaped the local food culture in Arnhem. Through conversations with kitchen workers, archival research, and participatory cooking sessions, forgotten stories become visible — and tasteable.

Lacuna Kitchen is a sensory theatre experience in the form of a pop-up restaurant, where the stories behind our food culture are explored. The performance gives voice to kitchen workers and chefs from European gastronomy and translates migration history into the dishes on our plates. Through cooking with special ingredients, personal stories, and shared meals, Lacuna Kitchen shows how food can build bridges between cultures — and between past and present.

The performance, presented by Theater a/d Rijn, will premiere on May 23 in Arnhem at Oude Kraan 72, and will then travel to the Oerol Festival and the Grand Theatre (Groningen), and in 2026 to Amsterdam.

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Sharing experiences, methods, and research

Creating art across various domains requires diverse working methods. A key principle of Arnhems Stadsatelier is to make visible the research, experiences, and methodologies that precede the final work.

During the program, these elements were shared in various public moments. A publication was also released, compiling the makers' research into five interviews written by curator and art journalist Lieneke Hulshof. In these interviews, the makers reflect on their working methods, experiences, and the process that led to new work. Additionally, video portraits were created that visually present the makers' research. The video portrait of Abhishek Thapar will be released in June.

Click here to view the video portraits of the other residents.

Continuation Arnhems Stadsatelier

The second edition of Arnhems Stadsatelier will begin in September with new makers and collaborations with cultural institutions in Arnhem. The four partners believe it is important to give a new generation of makers the space to experiment with various art forms and social themes. In doing so, they demonstrate that Arnhem is a city where makers can continue to develop, even after completing a creative or arts education. The research projects of Arnhems Stadsatelier explore how to engage audiences, especially those who do not naturally come into contact with art, and how to further develop cross-disciplinary practices.

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