On Tuesday 6 May we will open our doors again. We wish everyone a nice liberation day!

Plaatsmaken closed on May 5

New workshops are planned for April and May.

Have you always wanted to learn how to screen print or etch? Or do you want to brush up on your technique? You can still register for the following workshops:

Saturday 10 May: Workshop Pinhole Photography
Friday 16 May: Workshop etching
Friday 16 May: Workshop bookbinding

Read more about the workshops and how to register here.

Workshops April & May

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

The coming four years, we will embark on an experiment in which two parallel programs intersect and strengthen each other.

We are letting go of the traditional idea of an exhibition with a fixed beginning and end. Instead, we are organizing rotating shifts of artists, writers, and collectives. Each season, activities are brought together into a festive Gather Together, driven by artistic and social experimentation. The first Gather Together will take place in the week of March 17–22.

For this program, we are collaborating with the art collective Sunflower Soup (SFS) and program maker Lenn Cox. SFS developed the program H0HA, and Lenn Cox created Time Out/Tune In. The Hospitality Club provides education and public activities. More about H0HA and Time Out/Tune In can be found here.

MONDAY, MARCH 17 – FRIDAY, MARCH 21
Open continuously, results of Shift 1 on display. Participating creators are Notshitprint, Zaban Razdar & Sunflower Soup. In the etching studio downstairs, linoprints by Willemijn Theisens are on display.

THURSDAY, MARCH 20
15:00 - 17:00 | Protest Pasta - Hospitality Club
Drop-in workshop for screen printing on lasagna sheets
15:00 - 17:00 | Mobile Unit - Sunflower Soup
Screen printing with a mobile screen printing unit
17:00 - 19:00 | Spring Outing Soup - Lenn Cox & Sunflower Soup
Join us and celebrate the beginning of spring!

FRIDAY, MARCH 21
14:00 - 16:00 (Possibly extended until 17:00) | Fonts - Sunflower Soup
Drop-in workshop for designing a font for the Mobile Printing Unit
17:00 - 20:00 | Theater Performance - Abhishek Thapar
As part of the Arnhem City Residencies. Entrance is free, reservations can be made via info@plaatsmaken.nl. Read more about the performance here.

SATURDAY, MARCH 22
14:00 - 16:00 | T-shirts - Notshitprint
Screen print your own t-shirt with a design by Notshitprint (second-hand t-shirts only!)
14:00 - 16:00 | Action Research Walk - Republishing: Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant with Archival Textures, Tabea Nixdorff & Anne Krul
During this tour, we will revive several historical locations in Arnhem North – such as an unofficial women's house and editorial office in one – while hearing stories about the Umoja Black Women’s Newspaper and weaving new narratives together.

At 14:00, we gather at Plaatsmaken with tea and coffee; around 15:30, we return to Plaatsmaken for snacks. The walk lasts approximately 45 minutes and is accessible to wheelchair users.
Limited spots are available, please register via lenn@plaatsmaken.nl
Read more about Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant and the walk here.

16:00 - 18:00 | Presentation - Zaban Razdar
Zaban shares experiences from his recent stay in the West Bank

Watch the video below for a throw back at the Spring Gather Together 2025 (Lente Samenscholing).

Gather Together

Maps of the Art Route in Schuytgraaf are available for free at Plaatsmaken.

On Thursday, October 24, both the installation and festive unveiling of Larissa Esvelt’s artwork took place.
A plump, slightly ‘grumpy’ water nymph seems to have just emerged from beneath the surface. Her head is covered in aquatic plants, and her glossy surface still appears wet from the water.

The young artist Larissa Esvelt (1998, Wageningen) was commissioned to respond to the landscape—and more specifically, to the ever-present water in the neighborhood. The two-meter-tall ceramic water nymph is situated in the canoe pond: one of the defining areas of the district, striking in its length and width. From this spot, you can look from the heart of the neighborhood all the way to the Veluwe massif.

Larissa drew inspiration from historical, classicist fountains and water features, but especially from what lies beneath the surface: the aquatic plants, mussels, fish, and the rich variety of colors in the ever-changing water. To Larissa, the figure is a manifestation of the mysterious, the hidden, and the wondrous—things not only found beneath the surface of the water, but within the neighborhood itself. The glossy glaze in shades of green, blue, and brown was carefully chosen to echo the natural hues of the water. The leaves on her head droop heavily over her body and are playfully stylized. These same plants also grow on the bottom of the pond in real life. Beneath the figure sits a shell—a swan mussel, a species found in Schuytgraaf.

Larissa often works with materials and techniques traditionally seen as feminine, such as textiles and ceramics. She puts a twist on familiar artistic motifs like the female body, which frequently takes center stage in her work—depicted in exaggerated, absurd postures. Her work is both attractive—thanks to its rich, humorous, and imaginative nature—and slightly unsettling. In doing so, she seeks to create space and empathy for the ‘strange’.

Larissa Esvelt lives and works in Arnhem and The Hague. She earned her Bachelor in Fine Arts in 2020 at BEAR ArtEZ, Arnhem. In 2024, she will begin her Master’s in Artistic Research at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague.

About the Art Route
Since early 2021, preparations have been underway for the art route, developed at the request of the Municipality of Arnhem by production house Plaatsmaken. Plaatsmaken appointed Arnhem-based curator Fleur Junier to shape the content of the route.

The Schuytgraaf Art Route will be officially opened on November 8, 2024.

The Schuytgraaf Art Route is supported by the Mondriaan Fund, the BPD Culture Fund, and the Municipality of Arnhem.

Location: At the canoe pond, near the bridge and opposite Kustvaart.

Follow us on Instagram @Kunstroute_schuytgraaf

'De Nimf'

On January 19, the first artwork of the Schuytgraaf Art Route was completed.

The lookout tower Take Off by Rob Voerman closely resembles a spaceship. It gives the impression of having just landed, yet it also seems ready to take off again at any moment. Space travel is a recurring theme in Voerman’s work, which is characterized by a visual language deeply connected to architecture—both futuristic and decaying. He draws inspiration from industrial architecture and Brutalism, where the function of a building strongly dictates its form.

The Art Route Schuytgraaf is supported by the Mondriaan Fund, the BPD Culture Fund, and the Municipality of Arnhem.

'Take Off'

Plaatsmaken is looking for volunteers to serve as hosts in the exhibition space on Saturdays from 12 to 5 PM.

We’re looking for enthusiastic, communicative people who enjoy engaging with visitors and sharing information about Plaatsmaken, as well as the presentations and projects we organize. Of course, we’ll provide you with all the necessary background and materials.

Plaatsmaken is a growing art platform where experimentation and togetherness are core values. Our inclusive artistic program centers around our printmaking studios, as well as dialogue and meaningful exchange. We’re a close-knit team and regularly organize activities together.

Want to become a Plaatsmaker? Send us a short motivation letter along with your CV. A volunteer stipend is available, and you’ll also have free access to our studio facilities.

Interested? Get in touch via info@plaatsmaken.nl

Wanted: Hosts for our exhibition space

dit is m adil zeefdruk .mov

We had a wonderful and successful Spring Gather Together last week.

There were many people who joined us in celebrating the change of the season by attending workshops, eating soup, watching, listening, and walking. The Mobile Unit (a portable screen printing station) had its debut at Velperpoort station, where passersby could screen print on the spot.

Hospitality Club came up with Protest Pasta—screen printing on fresh pasta, followed by enjoying a lovely meal with it. In a workshop led by Sunflower Soup, a font was designed for the Mobile Unit Lino. The letters were tested on our billboard and will appear in unexpected locations in the near future.

We walked past historical sites and listened to readings from Republishing: Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant by Anne Krul and Tabea Nixdorff of Archival Textures, a preview for the program by Lenn Cox.

We were enchanted by Abhishek Thapar and his performance about his hometown in India, and Zaban Razdar shared his adventures on the West Bank. The striking images that accompanied these stories are on display at our exhibition space. Meanwhile, we also hung up new works by notshitprint, Zaban Razdar, curators Sunflower Soup, and in the basement, the impressive installation of 470 linocuts by Willemijn Theisens. All of these works will still be on view in the coming time, so please come and take a look!

We thank all the visitors, the artists, Sunflower Soup, Hospitality Club, and Lenn Cox, as well as the Municipality of Arnhem and the Mondriaan Fund. Now we can rest easy knowing that all the seeds for the future are ready to sprout, the plants can finally grow and spread.

More about the (year)programs H0Ha and Time Out/Tune In, can be found here.

Watch the video here for a retrospective of the Spring Gathering 2025.

Photography: Django van Ardenne

Looking back: Spring Gather Together

Maps of the Art Route Schuytgraaf are available for free at Plaatsmaken.

The second artwork for the Art Route in Schuytgraaf has been unveiled: Echo from the Past by Keiko Sato is now in the neighborhood!

Keiko Sato (1957, Iwaki) finds inspiration in the idea of lingering traces and responds through her work to the rich history of Schuytgraaf. Archaeological findings show that Schuytgraaf was already inhabited seven thousand years ago. Evidence of habitation dates from the Middle and Late Iron Ages, the Roman period, and the early Middle Ages. In addition, heavy fighting took place in and around Schuytgraaf during the Second World War. In the final six months before liberation, the front line even ran straight through the area.

Keiko says: “Sometimes, residents aren’t aware of what once happened right in their surroundings. With this work, I want to make Schuytgraaf’s past visible and tangible.”

The artwork Keiko created for the art route is a ‘shelter’ in the form of a broken egg, reminiscent of a bunker. In addition to the enclosed nature of the piece, visitors experience a sense of freedom when looking up at the sky through the open roof. When you direct your gaze downward, you see traces of the past—Keiko incorporated metal archaeological objects from Schuytgraaf into a floor installation, using finds from the Arnhem archaeological depot.

The work is located at the foot of a hill in an ecological zone near a piece by Rob Voerman. This no-man’s-land in the middle of the neighborhood, where nature is allowed to take its course, forms an essential part of the experience. To reach it, visitors walk through a rugged, seemingly untamed area. In summer, the artwork is sheltered by tall grasses and wild herbs; in winter, by shrubs that partly conceal it.

For more information, follow us on Instagram: @Kunstroute_schuytgraaf

'Echo from the past'

Route maps are available free of charge at Plaatsmaken.

Art route Schuytgraaf has been completed.

Across the Arnhem district, four 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 is still in production and is expected in 2025.

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

For the past few years, Plaatsmaken has been organizing small-scale educational projects. We do this in collaboration with Hospitality Club, an artist initiative by Mirka Farabegoli and Krista Burger.

Over the past two years, Mirka and Krista have carried out two large-scale educational projects at Plaatsmaken, working together with various local partners. One of these was a flag project, in which pupils from primary school Ibn-i Sina used different printing techniques to create designs on fabric. The children were given space for personal development, and through the act of creating something together in public space, the project fostered greater social cohesion.

These flags are now displayed by more than fifty shop owners in the Modekwartier. The project is a great example of how collaboration between multiple parties can result in something truly special. The work created by the children will continue to be visible in the neighborhood for years to come, as the flags are used by shop owners during special events in the Modekwartier. Seeing your own work out in public is disarming—not just for children, but also for adults. It shows them that what they do is taken seriously.

This collaboration is focused on building sustainable relationships within the neighborhood and with local schools. We aim to continue this form of 'engaged art practice' in the coming years. The connections we’ve already made with surrounding schools and Modekwartier shop owners will be further strengthened, and new partnerships will also be explored.

As part of our 2025–2028 program, Hospitality Club will carry out one large educational project each year. This year, an exciting new idea is in the works—one that involves the sails of our neighbors, Molen De Kroon. More information coming soon!

Let us introduce

The works are for sale for €45. The full proceeds go to charity.

DAYS is a series of linocut prints with an edition of 470. This number represents the days from October 7, 2023, until the ceasefire earlier this year. It is symbolic, as the immense suffering and destruction that existed before still persist. Depicted are children's hands forming a peace sign – a simple, universal gesture that speaks without explanation. The paper sometimes has holes, missing ink, traces of what is no longer there. The hands hang as both a presence and an absence. They are countless, yet each one is unique.  

The works have been donated to Art Collective For Peace, and the proceeds go to the Hope Foundation, a foundation dedicated to the development of children in conflict areas, with a focus on children with trauma and disabilities. Hope uses art and play to achieve this.  

The work of Willemijn Theisens (1982) is a blend of activism and contemplation. At times, it is harsh and painful; at others, quiet and fragile. By working with materials such as menstrual blood, pearls, cow’s milk, bones, silver, and embroidery, the work speaks directly from the materiality of reality. It revolves around femininity, vulnerability, beauty, and sorrow, while also addressing the continuous powerlessness in the face of human and animal suffering. 

DAYS linoprints

Friday March 14th at 7:30pm: We close the exhibition with an artist talk, admission is free.

TLP-DEF-2.mp4

The finissage of the exhibition The Living Print will take place on Friday 14 March.

We close the exhibition with an artist talk about the course of the various work processes and how the works relate to the landscapes from which they emerged. When do we speak of appropriation and extraction in an art practice and what are ways to deal with this honestly?

Four artists have experimented in our workshops with natural materials with which they created printed matter. However, their work also contains references to the omnipresent AI and the immense amounts of waste that remain in nature. Writer Lucie Fortuin followed the artists in their work process and wrote an overarching text.
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in the present tense, in the present tense.

- Ursula K. Le Guin, excerpt from ‘Infinitive’ -

Curator: Astrid Nobel
Artists: Arvo Leo, masharu & Olga Ganzha, Ratu R. Saraswati
Writer: Lucie Fortuin

An exhibition about the world between ourselves and the living nature, made transferable through words and images. On one hand, there is interaction and recognition, as described in the lines above by Le Guin. On the other hand, the loss of biodiversity and living landscapes due to colonialism and capitalism leads to sensations formally named as landscape grief and solastalgia or to the formation of definitions such as ecocide. In what ways do references to nature and materials extracted from it interact within an artistic practice with a responsibility towards the living world they refer to, and how do new forms and ways of working emerge here as well?

Four artists, including a duo, experiment in our workshops with natural materials to create prints. Their work contains references to colonialism, AI, and the foraging of materials. Writer Lucie Fortuin follows the artists in their work process and writes a unifying text.

Friday, January 24 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM: workshop by masharu and Olga Ganzha, free entry

Friday, March 14 at 7:30 PM: We close the exhibition with an artist talk about the progress of the different work processes and how the artworks relate to the landscapes they originate from. When does artistic practice involve appropriation and extraction, and what are ways to engage with this ethically?

Follow our socials or our website for updates and times.

Finissage The Living Print

Twice a year Plaatsmaken publishes the magazine Zevenblad with poetry and visual art contributions. Poetry and images can now be submitted for the eighth edition of Zevenblad.

There is no theme, the editors select a coherent whole from the submissions after an Open Call. Werkplaats Typografie takes care of the design. The new issue of Zevenblad will be published in June in an edition of 100 copies. The deadline for submissions is April 14. Send your work to uitgeverij@plaatsmaken.nl.

With a new subscription you will now receive two previous issues of your choice (if available) of Zevenblad as a welcome gift. An annual subscription (for two issues) costs €26 including shipping. You can order via the webshop or by sending an email to info@plaatsmaken.nl.

Zevenblad #8

On Saturday March 8th, a new workshop is planned: traditional etching.

In this workshop you will learn all the basic knowledge about traditional etching techniques: dry needle, etching with copper sulphate and aquatint. You will learn to create lines and grey areas and print them on paper. The end result is a 100% handmade print and at the end of the workshop you will go home with your own processed metal plate and a number of hand-printed prints. After this workshop you will also be able to work independently in the etching workshop.

-Costs: € 175.00 (incl. materials and VAT)

The workshop is given by Mirka Farabegoli. More information about the workshop and the registration form can be found here.

Workshop Etching

In the display case in front of the Palace of Justice in Arnhem, Plaatsmaken has been showcasing contemporary visual art for several years. This is based on the idea that encountering art in unexpected places can add an extra spark to your day.

On display in the showcase from February 17: Sam Zanardo  

Sam Zanardo is an interdisciplinary artist and a facilitator of inclusivity. Their work explores the body as a site of relationships, where affection, the everyday sacred, and contemporary technology intersect.  

This collection of works is part of Sam’s ongoing research into folklore, rituals, and magic in Southern Italy. Inspired by the visual representations of Catholic sanctity and female martyrdom—where women's bodies were often examined or dissected as proof of their holiness—Sam studies the shifting meanings attributed to the body. Their work engages with themes such as voyeurism, dissection, and the spectacle of suffering, reflecting on systemic violence, gender, and identity.  

Sam often places these historical references alongside family archives and self-portraits, weaving together multiple narratives that embody the contradictions of pain, pleasure, and transformation, inherent to the human experience.  

This installation also serves as a reminder—a requiem—for Giulia Cecchettin, who was murdered on November 11, 2023. Her death is one of countless cases of femicide, a systemic and deeply rooted form of gender-based violence that remains largely unacknowledged.  

In collaboration with the BEAR (Fine Art) department of ArtEZ, (former) students are given the opportunity to submit proposals for the showcase. This benefits both parties: young artists gain experience in exhibiting, while Plaatsmaken ensures the programming of emerging talent directly from the academy.

De Uitspraak

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 swift, 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 deliberately chosen. 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.

More information: follow us on Instagram @Kunstroute_schuytgraaf

'A Doodle'

Four years ago, we began filming Mounira Al Solh. She often works in our studios, and we regularly support her productions. With our camera, we followed her creative process and the collaborations she engaged in for her projects.

We visited her studio and had extensive conversations with her. But new and exciting developments kept unfolding, so we continued filming. We traveled with her to Cardiff, where she was nominated for the Artis Mundi Prize. Maurice even flew to Beirut with Mounira, capturing stunning footage of a city that had not yet been devastated. We spoke again in her new studio in Velp.  

After six months of editing at our space, she presented her film at the Lebanese Pavilion of the Venice Biennale—a perfect high point to conclude our filming.  

Step into the dynamic world of Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh. This Oogmerk XL offers a unique insight into an artistic practice that has rapidly gained international recognition. And Plaatsmaken was there!

Oogmerk XL

The beginning of our new policy period (2025-2028) coincides with the start of four-year support from the Kunstpodium Basis program by the Mondriaan Fund. Over the next four years, we will focus on artistic and substantive development, sustainability, collectivity, and connection.

In 2025, we will launch an experimental program proposed by the artist collective Sunflower Soup and Lenn Cox. This program offers ample space for artists to develop their own work while also becoming part of a growing community that explores questions of authorship and creation, collectivity, and the relevance of art and editions. For our small-scale educational projects, we collaborate with Hospitalityclub. In our workshops, we are fully committed to making processes more sustainable and embracing experimentation.  

Our facilities will be utilized, questioned, and innovated throughout the 2025-2028 program. Small yet inspiring sparks from the activist 1980s—the era in which Plaatsmaken was founded—are being reignited in the present.  

The policy plan can be read here. (dutch only) 

New policy plan

What does it mean to (re)visit archives of queer, Black, feminist groups in the Netherlands. How can publishing archival texts and materials spark solidarity between generations?

Saturday 22 March Action Research Walk with Archival Textures, Tabea Nixdorff and Anne Krul. During this tour, we will revive a few historical sites in Arnhem North - such as an unofficial women's house and newsroom in one - while hearing stories about Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant and interweaving new narratives.

At 14:00 we will gather at Plaatsmaken with tea and coffee, around 15:30 we will be back at Plaatsmaken and there will be snacks. The walk takes about 45 minutes and is wheelchair accessible. There are limited places available, please register via lenn@plaatsmaken.nl

*Communication language is spoken Dutch, if you prefer English please mention this when you register.


Over Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant
Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant was a revolutionary magazine “by and for black women,” published between 1985 and 1986 by the foundation ‘Zwarte Vrouwen & Racisme’ Arnhem. “The intersectional solidarity that the magazine Umoja demanded and practiced in the 1980s remains a model for us all.” The book Republishing: Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant (Archival Textures, 2024) gives the magazine the historic recognition it deserves and highlights the systematic marginalization of Black* women’s work of resisting and organizing. (*‘Black’ was introduced by the Arnhem Foundation as a political term, with the aim of bringing together all women labeled as ‘the Other’ in the Netherlands.) The magazine still reads alarmingly urgent anno 2025, and its republication is an invitation for more research into it and the initiatives it highlights. In addition, it is an important reminder for intersectional feminists today to never be silent.

Archival Textures is a publication series that seeks knowledges that are continuously obscured by normative perspectives on our bodies, desires, forms of cohabitation and expression. Archival Textures works with local community archives, personal collections, and conversations to find writings of the past that can inform our current vocabularies of resistance and solidarity. 

Tabea Nixdorff (1986) is an artist, typographer and researcher currently based in Arnhem. Her artistic practice involves (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. In 2023, Tabea founded the publication series Archival Textures.

Anne Krul (1958) is an Afropean visual artist, poet, archivist and activist. She was a member of Strange Fruit, an organisation for young queer people from different cultural backgrounds. (1989-2002). They worked together to challenge their marginalization, within both their ethnic communities and the Dutch gay scene. They used 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 exhibitions Diasporic Self – Black Togetherness as Lingua Franca (Framer Framed, 2019), and the exhibitions Proud Aliens (2021), Hybrid Garden (2023) and Metamorphosis Manifesting (2024), as part of the artist community Open Atelier at Framer Framed, Amsterdam.


Image: Cover of Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant, jg 1, nr. 1, 1985, published by Stichting ‘Zwarte Vrouwen & Racisme’ Arnhem. Source: Persoonlijk Archief Ans Sarianamual

Republishing: Umoja Zwarte Vrouwenkrant

The first new residents have arrived, materials have been ordered, and boundaries are being explored and stretched. Over the next four years, we will embark on an experiment in which two parallel programs intersect and strengthen each other.

We are letting go of the traditional idea of an exhibition with a fixed beginning and end. Instead, we are organizing shifts of artists, writers, and collectives. Each season, this culminates in a 'Samenscholingsweek' (Gathering Week), where activities are bundled into a vibrant mix of artistic and social experimentation. For this program, we are collaborating with the art collective Sunflower Soup and curator Lenn Cox. The first Gathering Week will take place from March 17–22, with more details in the March newsletter.  

For a four-year program at Plaatsmaken, Sunflower Soup presents HOHA. HOHA is a spicy soup of wordplay and visual discoveries that we will keep simmering for four years. It is a platform for finding new ways for people to make their voices heard, using the space and resources that Plaatsmaken provides. Posters, protest (Ho!), poetry & pleasure (Ha!).  

We start with homemade protest signs featuring inventive slogans and move through spoken word, dreamy poets, local residents, craftspeople, graphic hardliners, and printers resisting oppression. We experiment with new combinations of all these elements, creating them in our workshops in rotating shifts. The results can be showcased at Plaatsmaken, but also far beyond—on the streets, in jacket pockets and backpacks, in libraries, and community spaces.  

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Looking back: Spring Gather Together

We had a wonderful and successful Spring Gather Together last week.