Starting January 10, 2026, we are now also open on Saturdays! This means we are open for exhibition visits from Monday through Saturday.

Opening hours

On Friday November 27th we will open the new show 'In Het Voorbijgaan', with works by Frida Berntsen and Carmen Molenaar.

Opening | Friday November 27th at 17:00h
16:30u - doors open
17:10u - procession through Plaatsmaken, led by Frida Berntsen
17:30u - official opening exhibition
18:00 - 19:00u - drinks

The exhibition is on view from November 28th until December 18th. 

The Arnhems Stadsatelier project organizes residencies that provide creators with the space to conduct artistic research at various locations throughout Arnhem and to share their work with the city’s residents. Two of the artists selected for the short-term residencies at Plaatsmaken are Frida Berntsen and Carmen Molenaar. They each did a residency in the Plaatsmaken studios in which they experimented with various printing techniques and created new works. 

Frida Berntsen works primarily with textiles—a material that invites touch, movement, and action. It is unpredictable, ubiquitous, and encountered in a wide variety of contexts. The inevitability of objects undergoing change, and the resistance people often feel toward this transformation, is a recurring theme in her work. During her residency, Frida explored ways in which fluttering flags, rigid banners, and swaying collars might be carried within a procession. This inquiry brings together questions regarding the manipulation of fabric and an exploration of how her pieces can be put to active use.

Carmen Molenaar explores the connection between the body and the landscape. Fascinated by rivers, she creates screen prints using sediment. By building up multiple layers, she draws a parallel to the stratification of the earth. In her new work, the boundary between map and mapmaker begins to blur. “Perhaps a map can tell us not only about a place, but also about the person who created it.” Sustainability and a respectful approach to the landscape are central to her practice.

The Arnhems Stadsatelier (Arnhem City Atelier) is a collaboration between four cultural organizations in Arnhem: TAR (formerly 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—both for artists and for the public. Central to this initiative are new ways of collaborating between art, the public, and society at large.

The program includes one long-term residency, known as the "city residency"—this year held by visual artist Frank Koolen. In addition, there are six short-term residencies that provide emerging creators with the space to experiment, gain experience, further develop their skills, and share their work with the public. Throughout this process, they receive support from the collaborating organizations. For more information about the Arnhems Stadsatelier, click here.

Carmen Molenaar en Frida Berntsen | In het Voorbijgaan

On Sunday, 15 November, an exhibition featuring prints and paintings by Ad Gerritsen opens at De Bakermat Cultural Centre.

Location | De Bakermat, G.A. van Nispenstraat 139, Arnhem
Date | 15 November 2026 at 15:00h

Plaatsmaken has a special connection with the Arnhem-based artist Ad Gerritsen (1940–2015). Ad regularly worked in our studios, and we visited his studio in Heveadorp just as regularly. In 2015, Museum Arnhem invited us to curate a solo exhibition of the artist’s work. While we were working on the exhibition, the artist passed away. It was therefore both a deeply sad and a very special experience to have his work surrounding us in the months that followed.

After his death, we supported the family in managing his artistic estate. Because we knew his work inside out, we were able to make carefully considered donations to collections that had gaps in the chronology of his extensive oeuvre. For there is no doubt that Ad produced a great deal: paintings, prints, collages, three-dimensional works and drawings. All of these works were interconnected by a common thread, reflecting Ad’s interest in social relationships and structures. Vulnerable people, those on the margins of society, criminals and history are recurring themes in his work. We still have a considerable amount of his work in our collection.

We are therefore delighted that his work will once again be on display. On Sunday, 15 November at 3:00 pm, our director, Inge Pollet, will open an exhibition at de Bakermat, featuring works from the artist’s estate. Following this, we will present the works in a very different context: the art route in Klarendal during Uitnacht on Friday, 29 January.

Tentoonstelling Ad Gerritsen | De Bakermat

On Thursday, November 12, from 12:00 to 17:00, Rainbow Soulclub will be at Plaatsmaken!

Last summer, members of the Rainbow Soulclub spent time working in the workshops; the results of their efforts are currently on display in the exhibition Rearrangement of Priorities #25 in our exhibition space. As the final days of this exhibition approach, the Rainbow Soulclub is returning for one last session—an opportunity to screen-print together, enjoy a drink, and have a chat. Everyone is welcome to join us for this finissage.

Did you miss the Herfstsamenscholing (Autumn Gathering)? Now is your chance to get your hands on a hand-printed Rainbow Soulclub garment. You can also bring an item of your own, which will then be printed on-site 

The exhibition Rearrangement of Priorities #25 by Rainbow Soulclub is about dance, collectivity, and the desire for an open agenda, not guided by the agendas of others. Their residency (Ploegendienst) and exhibition are part of the H0ha program, in which various forms of protest and resistance are explored by means of screen printing. H0ha is curated by Sunflower Soup. 

Re-arrangement of Priorities #25 can be seen until the 14th of November. 

Finissage Re-arrangement of Priorities #25

Open Call | Submissions for Zevenblad #11

UPDATE | The submission deadline has now passed. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels to be notified when submissions for Zevenblad #12 open. 

For the eleventh 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. On one occasion, the theme was daffodils, and the final issue (10) suddenly featured a series of black-and-white triptychs, including one depicting handkerchiefs. Later, we received a beautiful standalone photograph of a handkerchief, as if it was in the air, that is simply how things unfold. Following an open call, the editorial team selects entries to create a cohesive whole.

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 #11

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.

Price: €10,- (excl shipping)
Subscription to Zevenblad (two editions yearly):
- €27,50 (incl. shipping) per year

Zevenblad#10 with poetry by Albert Hagenaars, Erik Lucassen, Jeanet Kingma, Sam Ellyn Theunissen and Marion Steur. Art is by René van der Hoofd, Jaap Blonk, Henriette Tavenier, Mirjam Kuitenbrouwer, Sandra Kruisbrink, Reggie Voigtländer, Suzanne de Jong, Lique Schoot, José Witteveen and Ivana Soyer.

Zevenblad#9 with poetry by Arjan van Es, Enno de Witt, Ivana Soyer, Marcel Pol, Roelof Schipper en Ruben Planting. Art is by Agatha van Amée, Arjan van Es, Carel Lanters, Claudia Lindhout, Francis Konings, Ietje Meerman en Liesbeth Doornbosch.  Design by Valentina Stahnke van Werkplaats Typografie/ArtEZ.

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

The Arnhems Stadsatelier project organizes work periods that provide creators with the space to conduct artistic research at various locations throughout Arnhem and to share their findings with the city’s residents. One of the artists selected for these short-term residencies at Plaatsmaken is Isaac van den Aker.

Isaac graduated in 2025 (Design Art Technology, ArtEZ). His practice explores sound, video, code, and installations, focusing on the hidden potential of everyday technological objects by detaching them from their original intended use—asking, "What happens when you strip away their function?" In doing so, Isaac abstracts and distorts the objects he works with.

Driven by this interest in technology and its latent possibilities, Isaac began his research in our screen-printing studio. His work reflects on the "global dream" of perfect, efficient, and streamlined technology. By assembling—arguably superfluous—elements such as printed cable ties or swarms of screen-printed flies, he makes the gap between technological promise and the reality of waste tangible. The result is a critical perspective on our technological future, one centered on improvisation and discarded materials. Isaac transforms simple substances like plastic and wood into interactive objects that engage in a dialogue with the viewer.

Isaac has now concluded his residency at Plaatsmaken, and we are currently busy preparing his presentation. It will be on view—day and night—starting Friday, October 30, at 171project.space.

The Arnhems Stadsatelier is made possible by Gemeente Arnhem.

Isaac van den Aker | Arnhems Stadsatelier

The latest issue of Zevenblad is being presented

Zevenblad#7 features contributions form eight poets and zeven artists, making it the most densely populated issue we have produced to date. The editorial team selected these works from over forty submissions, received following the open call. The design is by Camille Cilja Caspersen of Werkplaats Typografie/ArtEZ. Sevenblad#7 is being released in an edition of 100 copies and is priced at 10 euros.

On Sunday December 15th at 3:00 PM, we will celebrate the launch of the new issue in the presence of poets and artists, featuring various readings. You are cordially welcome to attend. 

More information about Zevenblad can be found here. 

Presentation Zevenblad #7

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

As part of ongoing research into sustainability at Plaatsmaken, we are launching two new workshops: ecological screen printing & sustainable photography. 

When | Saturday October 24
Time | 09:00 until +/- 16:00  
Costs | €100 (incl. lunch)
Location | Plaatsmaken, Klarendalseweg 82a, 6822 GC Arnhem 

You can register using the "Aanmelden" (sign up) button at the bottom left. Please indicate which workshop you would like to attend in the "comment/question" field.

At the Plaatsmaken workspaces, we are continuously exploring ways to make our practices more sustainable. One way we do this is by experimenting with the production and use of natural inks made from unconventional raw materials. As part of this research into eco-friendly inks, this pilot workshop will involve working with ingredients such as pumpkin soup, nuts, and beets. No prior knowledge or experience is required to participate; everyone is welcome!

The day consists of two separate workshops, both taking place at Plaatsmaken on Saturday, October 24, from 9:00 AM to approximately 4:00 PM. To take part in the pilot, you can sign up for one of the two workshops. You can choose from the following options:

In this workshop, we will experiment with analog and ecological photography. We will work from start to finish on all the elements required to create an analog photograph — from building the camera and brewing the developer to printing the final image. We will brew the developer using, among other things, leftovers from the pumpkin soup we enjoy for lunch. We will incorporate the season into our process and explore the realm of "sustainable photography" together.

This workshop is led by Aracelly Scheper, Mirka Farabegoli, and Carel Lanters (Collectief A.I.M).

Workshop 1. Building, Brewing, Developing, Printing

In this workshop, we will explore eco-friendly screen printing on poster paper. We’ll start by brewing ink made from nuts and beets, incorporating pigments found right in your kitchen cupboard. To create the printing medium, we’ll use ingredients such as flour and honey; this mixture will serve as the base for our screen printing. In the afternoon, you’ll have the freedom to experiment with stencils and existing screens. You also have the option to submit your own A4-sized design for the workshop. Finally, we’ll print with chocolate spread onto edible paper — a treat to enjoy as dessert following our pumpkin soup lunch.

Workshop 2. “Ecological screen printing”

Workshop eco-ink | Screen print & photography

 Re-arrangement of Priorities #25, the result of ploegendienst 7, can be visited from the 19th of  September until the 14th of November at Plaatsmaken.

Part of the H0ha program, curated by the collective Sunflower Soup. In this multi-year program, the workshops of Plaatsmaken are used to experiment with forms of protest and resistance through image and language. Poets, visual artists, activists, and publishers are invited to collaborate at Plaatsmaken in so-called 'Ploegendiensten' (work shifts).

During the Autumn Gather Together on Saturday September 19, art and solidarity collective Rainbow Soulclub presented a series of three new works created during their ploegendienst (residency).

The exhibition can be seen from September 19th until November 14th at Plaatsmaken. 

Rainbow Soulclub:
“These are works we have wanted to make or experiment with for some time, but for which there was no time, space, or simply no focus. Or they are earlier works that still needed further development, but never got around to because the next thing was already waiting around the corner. The title Re-arrangement of Priorities was conceived in 2017 by Rainbow Soulclub member Ebby Addo. Since 2017, we have used the title for all our presentations, because it is still relevant and we never really came up with a better one. Rearranging priorities is something we do every day.

Both the personal lives of the members and the Rainbow Soulclub schedule have been quite full in recent years. There have been legal battles over residence permits, illness and bereavement, but also positive things such as getting a first home, a passport, or reconnecting with long-lost family. Sometimes real life takes precedence over art.

At Plaatsmaken, we made a series of 12 hand-painted and printed cotton cloths that together form an empty yearly calendar, with one cloth for each month.

The cloths are multifunctional and can be used as desired: as a piece of clothing, picnic blanket, scarf, curtain, or simply pinned to the wall as a calendar. The empty calendar underscores the desire not to be dictated by circumstances, but to take control of one’s own schedule. Something Rainbow Soulclub members regularly have to contend with.

The cloths are made from used bed sheets, a classic ‘material’ for banners used during demonstrations. With these, we are demonstrating, in a modest way, for freedom of time.

Perry Person, one of the Rainbow Soulclub members, is a dancer by origin. In 1980, he participated in the World Disco Dancing Championships in London. He creates his own dance steps and choreographies, and has developed a notation system for music as well as one for dance. During the work period at Plaatsmaken, he designed dance shirts and dance suits. The choreography is printed on the front of the shirt and is never visible to the dancer wearing it. Ultimately, the dance depicted on it is something you have to ‘know and feel from within’. (PP)

During the Autumn Gather Together, Perry performed a dance-in, where everyone was invited to wear the shirts and dance suits.

In the presentation, two large paper fans slowly rotate in the space. The fans are made up of texts and drawings from the Rainbow Soulclub archive, meticulously folded into fans. They have a meditative effect, bringing coolness and silence to visitors to the exhibition. The work is based on an earlier piece from 2009.

The presentation is illuminated by coconut lamps from the Rainbow Soulclub archive: a spotlight on an empty calendar, paper fans, and personal dance suits. On freedom, calm, joy, and collaboration.”

This ploegendienst and the Herfstsamenscholing are part of the programme H0ha by Sunflower Soup.

About Rainbow Soulclub
Rainbow Soulclub is an art and solidarity collective founded in 2005. The collective consists of artists and thinkers from diverse social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. The members regularly meet in their shared studio at the drop-in centre of Stichting De Regenboog Groep, an organisation in Amsterdam that supports people experiencing homelessness, addiction, poverty, and the challenges associated with undocumented status.

Working with an organic model that continues to expand and evolve - without agendas, hierarchies, or expectations - the Rainbow Soulclub centres the idea that every person has the capacity for expression, even in complex and undignified circumstances.

Click here for a glance at the Herfstsamenscholing, the opening of the work of ploegendienst 7.  

Now showing | Re-arrangement of Priorities #25

Click here for video's about this project

Stadsatelier Arnhem is a collaboration between four cultural organizations  based in Arnhem; Theater a/d Rijn, Plaatsmaken, ArtEZ, and The Hub. 

The goal of this collaboration is to make the art world of Arnhem more diverse and accessible for both artists and the public. New ways of collaborating between art, public, and society are the central focus. 

To achieve this, short work periods are organized giving creators the opportunity to conduct artistic research at various locations in Arnhem and share this with the city's residents. 

Each year features one long-term residency—the 'city residency'—in which an experienced artist conducts research related to the city of Arnhem. In addition, seven short-term residencies will be organized in 2026, giving emerging creators the space to experiment, gain experience, further develop their skills, and share their work with the public. Throughout this process, they receive support from the collaborating organizations.

At Plaatsmaken, artists can experiment and work in various workshops and make use of the exhibition space. ArtEZ provides an online platform, APRIA (ArtEZ Platform for Research Interventions of the Arts), where publications can be shared online. They also assist residents in formulating a research question and connect various study programs and students with the project. The Hub serves as a meeting place connecting students, self-taught artists, and alumni, helping residents take their first steps into the professional cultural sector. Theater aan de Rijn offers residents a stage for experimentation and helps them connect with a suitable audience.

In 2024, social theatre maker Abhishek Thapar served as the city resident. He is an artist who blends personal stories with major global themes. His research focused on the often-invisible kitchen staff within the hospitality industry. Through his project Lacuna Kitchen, he aimed to bring together theatre, gastronomy, community building, and social activism. He united all these elements in a performance staged in May 2025. This initiative allowed kitchen staff not only to share their stories but also to play an active role in creating and performing the piece. In addition to the performance, the project included workshops with ArtEZ students and "Kitchen Telling Events"—community meals where the public could gather to eat, get to know one another, converse, and foster a sense of community. Meanwhile, emerging artists Ro Smit, Mel Kikkert, Levi Overvest, and Charlotte Gillain developed their practices at Plaatsmaken and Theater a/d Rijn. Their work centered on social themes, utilizing various analog and digital art forms while exploring new ways to experience art. The results of their residencies were showcased through exhibitions, performances, and workshops.

Ro Smit graduated in 2023 (BEAR ArtEZ) and invites the public to create a collaborative exhibition through workshops. He explores how objects acquire meaning through memories and conducted research into screen printing techniques at Plaatsmaken.

Also Levi Overvest graduated in 2023 (BEAR ArtEZ). Levi moved into the Klarendal neighborhood and gathered topics relevant to Arnhem’s young residents. During his residency at Plaatsmaken, he explored screen printing on ceramics.

Mel Kikkert graduated in 2023 (Creative Writing, ArtEZ) and is fascinated by the internet and its inhabitants. At Theater a/d Rijn, they explored theatre as a medium and created new work using words, imagery, and digital tools.

Charlotte Gillain graduated in 2021 (Mime School, AHK). She works from the body and seeks to make the way that our brains store memories tangible. Together with designer Zak Lennard, she explored the physical experience of remembering and the visualization of this inner world using digital design.

The 2026 city resident is artist, educator, workshop leader, and organizer Frank Koolen. He creates installations, videos, performances, drawings, and sculptures. Frank enjoys creating work for and with others and wants to share the pleasure he derives from art with them. He believes that art does not need t be anything specific, yet can serve as a wonderful starting point for social change or a shift in consciousness. His primary driving force is his enthusiasm for the creative process as a catalyst for an open and empathetic perspective. Key elements in his approach include the use of humor, disruption, and improvisation.

In FIASCO TOTAAL, Frank Koolen’s research project, the creative process takes center stage as the driving force behind play, conversation, and new discoveries. It is a dynamic, experimental, and playful exploration of the methods and effects of collectivity and collaboration—of ‘working together’—in which the process and the shared experience are paramount. The findings of the research will be presented at various locations, including Plaatsmaken and Omstand. The project comprises several components, namely: STUDIO FIASCO, CIRCUS FIASCO and FIASCO TOTAAL. 

The artists undertaking a short residency at Plaatsmaken in 2026 are Isaac van den Aker, Frida Berntsen, and Carmen Molenaar. 

Presentation by Isaac van den Aker | 171project.space

Isaac van den Aker has completed his residency at Plaatsmaken. We are currently working on his presentation, which will be on view this autumn at 171project.space. Further details to follow.

Opening Carmen Molenaar and Frida Berntsen | Plaatsmaken | November 27 – 5:00 PM

The festive opening for Carmen Molenaar and Frida Berntsen will take place on November 27 at 5:00 PM. Both artists are working on separate residencies at Plaatsmaken and will be showcasing their work in a joint presentation. Further details to follow.

Arnhems Stadsatelier

For several years, Plaatsmaken has been programming contemporary visual art in the display case (De Vitrine) standing in front of the Palace of Justice in Arnhem.

Based on the idea that encountering art in unexpected places can add an extra sparkle to your day, in collaboration with the BEAR (Fine Art) department at ArtEZ, (former) students are given 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 September 1st: Kajetan Oniszk

Kajetan graduated from BEAR in 2026 and has selected six prints from his graduation work for the showcase. The work is titled Gaza Strips (2026).

What we see is an archive of thin, horizontal screenshots of the recently updated satellite images of Gaza on Google Maps. Where life, stories, cities, and nature once existed, only rubble, desert, and traces of bulldozers remain.

Read more about the De Uitspraak showcase project here.

De Uitspraak | Kajetan Oniszk

Zomersamenscholing 25.mp4

From Saturday 21 June through Sunday 29 June, the Summer Gather Together took place.

We look back on a very successful week in which we welcomed many visitors over the course of three days. Koen Kievits and Django van Ardennen photographed the Summer Gathering, while resident artist Maurice captured everything on video. At the bottom of this page you can view the photos and footage.

Day 1 | Sun Day
Artist collective Periphery Center kicked things off after workshops by Sunflower Soup and Hospitality Club, with a spoken word performance and a beautiful presentation of the printed work they produced with us in recent weeks. Curator Lenn Cox interviewed the artists during the opening about their residency period. The spicy Antillean solstice stew they had prepared was a perfect match for the occasion. After the performance, DJ Snobbie took over and treated us to great music.

Day 2 | Letter Day
The second Summer Gathering event began with a letter-stamping workshop by Sunflower Soup, during which our billboard was completely redesigned with new text and images. Many hands worked together to create a piece best described as “activist humorous visual poetry” in which—of course—cats played a central role. After the homemade “Letter Soup,” there was a presentation of the new issue of Zevenblad. Poets and artists read from or spoke—sometimes at great length—about the works featured in the magazine. It was an attentive, thoughtful gathering of the sort we’ve come to expect from Zevenblad. The evening continued long and gently, with the beer table set up outside.

Day 3 | Together Day
The final day of the Summer Gathering centered on a workshop developed by Periphery Center in collaboration with Brussels-based collective Girls Like Us. Participants read aloud together, held discussions, and screen-printed texts onto sweatpants. It was a well-attended afternoon with many new faces. This event, too, ended with a communal meal.

We’ve made beautiful memories and written another chapter in our four-year artistic and social experiment. This past January we began a program curated by Sunflower Soup and Lenn Cox, with Hospitality Club handling the educational component. Rotating teams of artists, poets, and publishers work in our studios for a season. At the solstice or equinox that follows, we celebrate these new additions with a program full of workshops, presentations, gatherings, and soup. The Autumn Gathering will take place around the weekend of 20 and 21 September.

We are letting go of the traditional idea of an exhibition with a set beginning and endpoint. Instead, this year we are organizing ploegendiensten (residencies) of artists, writers, and collectives. Each season, activities culminate in a festive Gather Together, driven by artistic and social experiment.

Program curator Lenn Cox created Time Out/Tune In, a program focusing on time and the need to slow down. It examines the 'household' of Plaatsmaken and intersections are made with the 'households' of other makers and organizations. The Hospitality Club provides educational and public activities. You can learn more about Time Out/Tune In here.

Periphery Center is an emerging collective for artistic practice and shared study. Here, we center the margin as the main site for the production of a counter hegemonic discourse that is not just found in words but in habits of being and in the way one lives.* Here, we meet to inspire one another and co-create the reality we dream of through bookmaking, (graphic) design, publishing, curating, art and writing.

*bell hooks, “Marginality as site of resistance”

Girls Like Us is a queer feminist magazine made by and featuring an ever expanding community of queers from all sides of the spectrum within the arts, culture and activism. The magazine was founded by Jessica Gysel. It mixes politics with pleasure and maps collaborative routes toward a non-patriarchy. To actively build community, Girls Like Us also organizes events ranging from film screenings, exhibiti­ons, talks, workshops, presentations, pop-up shops, to parties. Katja Mater is involved as editor.

With thanks to Mondriaan Fonds and Gemeente Arnhem.

Looking Back | Summer Gather Together 2025

Location: Café De Kurk, Steenstraat 68, Arnhem

On August 22nd, a screening of the film Wij Zijn Het Archief (We Are The Archive) will take place at cafe De Kurk. Afterwards we'll have a conversation with Joy Brandsma, one of the directors.

This film screening is part of the finissage from POETS IN THE KITCHEN REVISITED, by anne krul and Tabea Nixdorff. You are also warmly invited to join us for the first part of the finissage at Plaatsmaken, starting at 15:00h.

SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 18:00 | Film screening and conversation at queer café De Kurk, Arnhem 
Wij Zijn Het Archief / We Are The Archive, directed by Duizend Kleuren, 33 minutes, Dutch spoken with English subtitles, Dark Matter Collective, 2024. 

“We Are the Archive takes us into the hidden past of the black queer community in the Netherlands. What connects us to the generations before us, and what can we learn from each other? In this film a group of young queer people of color meet the women of Stichting Mil Colores, who have been creating meeting places for women of different ethnic backgrounds and gender preferences since 2000. A story about identity, resilience and a history still in motion.”

About POETS IN THE KITCHEN REVISITED 
During their residency, anne krul and Tabea Nixdorff worked together as an intergenerational duo, using poetry, archival wandering, silkscreening and book making as artistic tools and mediums to explore broader questions about how to break silences, as a way to create and reshape supportive structures and practice solidarity and allyship.

Read more about anne and Tabea’s Ploegendienst residency here. 

Image: Duizend Kleuren / Dark Matter Collective
Board member Ligya Wachter shows photos from Mil Colores’ first party

Film screening | We Are The Archive

During the Summer Gather Together on June 20th we opened the new presentation POETS IN THE KITCHEN REVISITED.

POETS IN THE KITCHEN REVISITED | ANNE KRUL & TABEA NIXDORFF
June 20 - August 22, 2026

Saturday, July 25th: Meet & Read with anne & Tabea
15:00 - 17:00 | This afternoon anne & Tabea will be at Plaatsmaken. You're very welcome to join them at the round table to read, talk and exchange. 

Saturday, August 22nd: Finissage & film screening @ de Kurk
15:00 – 17:00 I Collective Reading 
Bring a companion text or book that supports or inspires you. With cake and (cold) tea.
Sign up appreciated: mail@tabeanixdorff.com
18:00 I Film Screening and Talk at Queer Bar De Kurk 
Together we watch the film We Are The Archive and have a conversation with one of the makers Joy Brandsma


ABOUT THE RESIDENCY
During their residency, anne krul and Tabea Nixdorff worked together as an intergenerational duo, using poetry, archival wandering, silkscreening and book making as artistic tools and mediums to explore broader questions about how to break silences, as a way to create and reshape supportive structures and practice solidarity and allyship.

anne krul and Tabea Nixdorff met through their shared commitment to archiving the traces of marginalized queer and feminist lives—first in 2021, when Tabea encountered part of anne's archive at Atria in Amsterdam, home to the International Archive of the Women's Movement. It quickly became clear to them that their common interests also extend to poetry, literature, collage making, creative collaboration and social gatherings. 

For their Time Out / Tune In residency at Plaatsmaken, anne and Tabea explored their ways of co-creating further by using language as material to engage with, and to spark conversations around the questions that drive their work: Where and how do we find the courage to break through internalized silences? How can language, as an artistic medium, help to create or reshape supportive structures? How does solidarity emerge? Which archival traces in queer, people of color, and feminist archives are sources of unruly knowledges to us?

One book from the archives, which anne and Tabea have brought as a companion to their Ploegendienst is Zwart aan Zet (published by the Groep Zwarte Vrouwen Nijmegen, 1985). A sentence from the book’s introduction formed the central theme of the residency:

“Breaking a silence within yourself and a silence around you is such an act. It’s really not an easy one because: will the sound you produce resonate? And where does it arrive, and how long does it take before you hear the echo?”

Interested in the connection between a printed book, orality and space, the duo researched the questions above through reading and writing, as well as silkscreening and bookmaking—working with Plaatsmaken’s facilities and skilled workshop facilitators. Another important aspect was the collaboration with a weekly, Arnhem-based art workshop called Open Atelier. anne and Tabea wanted to deepen their engagement with their research questions by co-creating with this local group for which the connection between healing and art is central.  

For the Summer Gather Together, anne and Tabea present their residency research and works in the installation POETS IN THE KITCHEN REVISITED, which is both a nod to an artistic intervention from anne’s archives, as well as a broader acknowledgement of feminist efforts to challenge the hierarchies of where art belongs, where it is created. By questioning what words and worlds get to code and fixate these definitions, kitchen tables, sickbeds or support groups become spaces of resistant knowledges and creativity, where lived experiences translate into an errantry and openness that embraces a poetics of deviance.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The residency with anne krul en Tabea Nixdorff is part of the Time Out / Tune In program that Lenn Cox curated around Plaatsmaken's shared household. Read more about the program Time Out / Tune In.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS 
Tabea Nixdorff is an artist, typographer and researcher based in Arnhem. Her artistic practice involves writing, (self)publishing, sound and language based performances, collaborative learning and social gatherings. Often working with/in archives, or libraries, Tabea’s works delve into micro-histories while touching upon broader themes such as omissions and distortions in historical narratives, embodied knowledges, queer belonging and a feminist poetics of error.

Her artist’s books are held in several public collections, and her work has been featured in group exhibitions at IHLIA LGBTI Heritage, Amsterdam (2024) and A Tale of A Tub, Rotterdam (2025). In 2023, she founded the publication series Archival Textures, which centers on (re)distributing archival texts and ephemera, namely of queer and feminist archives.

anne krul is an Afropean visual artist, poet, archivist and activist. Among many other queer and feminist groups including the International Lesbian Information Service (ILIS) and ZAMI, krul was a member of Strange Fruit, an organisation for young queer people from different cultural backgrounds (1989-2002). anne krul is invested in creative discourse, activism, art and poetry to implement change: breaking silences, empowering each other, exploring co-creation. 

As an artist, anne krul has participated in the group exhibitions Diasporic Self – Black Togetherness as Lingua Franca (Framer Framed, 2019), and Proud Aliens (2021), Hybrid Garden (2023) and Metamorphosis Manifesting (2024), as part of the artist community Open Atelier at Framer Framed, Amsterdam. In 2025, the unconventional retrospective ANAGRAMMA TICS featured the full scope of krul’s practice for the first time—anagram poetry, art making, education, organising, collaboration and intergenerational dialogue—at A Tale of A Tub in Rotterdam.

Lenn Cox is a community organizer, artist, educator and program maker. Lenn explores solidarity economies by immersing herself in self-organised learning-working-living environments. Many with an eco-feminist and queer heart. Lenn initiates and organizes relational spaces and structures that facilitate collective learning. While engaging navigation cards and clothes as correspondence to transfer the exchanges she collects as topics of conversation. An ongoing research into how we organize ourselves, what we can learn from each other, and what is at stake in the cultural field and beyond.

POETS IN THE KITCHEN REVISITED

As part of Sonsbeek 2026, the workshop ‘Pressing Matters’ will take place on Wednesday, August 26. This is a collaboration between writers’ collective Loesje and Plaatsmaken.

Writing and screen printing workshop 'Pressing Matters'
When | August 26, 11:00u - 17:00u
Entrance | €15 (SOLD OUT)
Location | Plaatsmaken

This workshop is sold out. It is possible to join the waiting list, you can send an email to info@plaatsmaken.nl.

Loesje is a writers’ collective and fictional character based in Arnhem, known for the thousands of posters featuring creative, critical yet optimistic slogans on socio-political and cultural developments. Loesje loves to ask difficult questions and bring people together, qualities that also apply to Plaatsmaken. You need both a sharp pen and printing techniques to make posters. And when you consider that both have been active in Arnhem since the 1980s, it’s actually strange that they’ve never collaborated before…

On August 26, that’s all set to change; because Loesje and Plaatsmaken will be pooling their expertise and inviting you to join in. First, Loesje will take you inside her mind to show you how to write those Loesje texts. Afterwards, Plaatsmaken will give you a crash course in screen printing. You’ll also learn about the editorial process that’s part of every Loesje writing session. And finally, both disciplines will come together, and you’ll get to print Loesje texts. You can print on fabric, for example, so if you bring along a suitable T-shirt, pillowcase or cotton bag, you can create your own unique Loesje garment!

'Pressing Matters' | Workshop Loesje

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 be inspirational in every day life.

On display in the showcase from May 22th:  Lotus van Zoggel

Lotus Parel van Zoggel combines disciplines such as ceramics and painting in her work. Her style is characterized by an expressionistic and playful approach, often with a touch of irony. She draws inspiration from her everyday life and explores themes such as family, memories, and human connection.

De Uitspraak | Lotus van Zoggel

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.

Ploegendienst 4

On Friday, September 11th at 20:00h we are launching the tenth edition of Zevenblad. 

From loads of submissions, we unanimously selected a number of triptychs, ranging from self-portraits with handkerchiefs to dark chairs and drawn landscapes. In the poems we chose, we read about unsafe forests and find ourselves constantly on the move - from doorways to asphalt, and in search of who we are. The result is a remarkably atmospheric issue, designed by Valentina Stahnke of Werkplaats Typografie. Come and listen to the poets and artists!

Participants: Albert Hagenaars, Erik Lucassen, Henriëtte Tavenier, Ivana Soyer, Jaap Blonk, Jeanet Kingma, Sam Ellyn Theunissen, Lique Schoot, Mirjam Kuitenbrouwer, José Witteveen, Reggie Voigtländer, René van der Hoofd, Sandra Kruisbrink, Suzanne de Jong, and Marion Steur.

Zevenblad is an arts and poetry magazine published twice a year by Plaatsmaken. Each issue is celebrated with a festive launch featuring a programme full of poetry. Read more about all editions of Zevenblad here. Press here to buy Zevenblad#10. 

Presentation Zevenblad#10

Plaatsmaken welcomes two new members to its Supervisory Board: Ralph Dassen and Ide André.

With the arrival of Ralph Dassen, and following the departure of Jenny Doest, we once again have an experienced cultural leader from Arnhem on board. In addition, we chose to appoint an extra member with an artistically driven perspective, and we’re delighted to welcome artist Ide André as a new Plaatsmaker. We’re excited to introduce them both — and look forward to the collaboration!

“I’m a visual artist and have been living and working in Arnhem for over ten years. My work originates primarily from painting but increasingly extends into sculpture, performance, video, and sound. Alongside my own practice, I’m one of the regular studio practice tutors in the Fine Art department at AKI ArtEZ in Enschede.

My interest in graphic techniques stems from my background in painting — they’re often direct, physical methods. I also have a fondness for spaces and initiatives that create opportunities to come together: to think, act, and especially make, collectively. Plaatsmaken is one of those places where all this converges. I’m therefore very happy to be able to support that from within the Supervisory Board, wherever needed.”

“I always think there is a mystical understanding between the moon and the street,
like between two sisters who have grown old together
and no longer need any language to communicate with each other.”
— Tove Ditlevsen

“That feeling — that something speaks without words — I recognize it.
In art. In poetry. In silence.
In the way a thought, an image, or a glance suddenly opens something up
and for a moment connects everything.

I’m Ralph Dassen, director of Focus Filmtheater Arnhem,
father of two boys, and three years deep into that one book
that stubbornly refuses to move past thirty thousand words.
I like to move between worlds — between word and image,
between practical organization and losing myself in dreams.