2023
Bunkerexhibition #47 and #49 curated by Ronin van Gastel
Bunkerexhibition #47 – Knock Knock, who is there? Filippo Maria Ciriani, Daniël Siegersma, Sophie Allerding, Yusuf Zucchero, and Rudi van Delden
Filippo Maria Ciriani & Daniël Siegersma
You did it. Everything is in order now, all you could do is done. There is nothing to worry about anymore. Rely on the choices you’ve made. Leave the ‘what ifs’ on the bedside table when you head in. Whatever will come, will come but it is not because of your inabilities.
The looming fear of losing everything.
We encourage visitors to embrace uncertainty and unpredictability in a mixture of events and exhibits. “Knock knock, who is there?” Serves as a reminder that while uncertainty can be challenging and even frightening, it is also a necessary and enriching aspect of the experience of being alive.
The exhibition brings together the works of five artists – Filippo Maria Ciriani, Daniël Siegersma, Sophie Allerding, Yusuf Zucchero, and Rudi van Delden. The artists explore a range of themes and issues through their installations, sculptures, and audio-visual works.
Dispari, an ongoing collaboration between Filippo and Daniël, reflects on the challenges faced by artists in their practice. The installation ‘Ademlucht op’ reproduces a section of a third-generation-old hay attic, examining the fear of uncharted errors that can have severe consequences.
Yusuf Zucchero’s work ‘AI in the Creative Flow’ explores the impact of AI technologies on the creative process. He illustrates his interactions with text and image-generating tools and investigates the boundaries between the creator and the tools for creation.
Sophie Allerding’s ‘Arca Forfuna – a radio sculpture’ is an immersive experience that accompanies visitors on their liminal journey from the street to the exhibition venue. The installation involves a temporary radio station installed on a boat, engaging in conversations of transition with the passengers.
Rudi van Delden’s works explore the logistics behind domestic comfort.
‘Groundnut’ and ‘all my pets got stuck in the 90s‘ reflect on the relationship between humans and their pets, and the economic objectives of the house interfering with the dreams of its tenants.
Pepijn and Ronin worked their asses off for this exhibition, they had to drive to Friesland to get hay bales. I really liked Sophie Allerding Arca Forfuna – a radio sculpture
Bunkerexpositie #48 – Kanenas Mirka Ni-Ak
Opening Kanenas by storyteller Terra Norihiro Terazawa
Mirka Ni-ak is a Greek sculptor who focuses on making installations. She is interested in things being here and in their absence. Lately, she has been working with transparent media.
For this exhibition Mirka was inspired by the bunker and going back to her ancestral roots, she decided to depict the myth of Odysseus and Polyphemus. In the 9th story of Homer’s epic of Odysseus, he and his men land on the island of the Cyclopes, the one-eyed giants. Entering an empty cave, they feast on its provisions. When the giant shepherd Polyphemus returns home with his flock, he blocks the entrance of the cave with a big boulder and eats some of the men. Odysseus tricks him into getting drunk. Intoxicated the giant promises to eat him last if he reveals his name. Odysseus tells him it is ‘Kanenas’, which means ‘Nobody’. He proceeds to blind the Cyclops in his sleep. When Polyphemus shouts for help from his fellow giants, saying that ‘Nobody’ has hurt him, they think Polyphemus has lost his sanity and recommend him to pray to his father Poseidon for help… Christopher Nolan left this part out of his Odyssey, I missed it. But his Odyssey grossed $1.1 billion -August 10, 2026- and we haven’t.
We love Mirka Ni-ak
Bunkerexpositie #49 – Sleep gunk Jojo Knowles
Jojo Knowles is an artist whose work spans through performance, installation, video, sculpture, and writing. Using art as a form of play and emotional protection, she builds an imaginative world to help her chew on the experience of daily life.
Her exhibition Sleep gunk is a glimpse into an artistic practice born out of fears, childhood, and dreams.
It’s when imagination takes over, when the smell of fish won’t leave your nostrils, it’s the shaking twinge of fragility on the fingertips, it’s placing whipped cream on horror and taking a bath in it. With Sleep gunk, she aims to create a space that cradles you within your fears. It is where dreams go to rest.
June 18 – June 25 Open daily from 10am to 8pm. Free entrance
3pm: Opening exhibition
5pm: Welcome drinks accompanied by tunes from Tom de Kok
7pm: Performance interjection by Jojo Knowles and Inga Hirsch
10pm :Finish
Finissage:
On Sunday the 24th, the last day of the exhibition, she invites you to a special one-time-only performance and celebration of Midsummer in the evening sun, with music and dancing and games.
We also hosted:
Curated by Ronin van Gastel :
Kazemat: Worm & Achterban
Worm: Waterkant offered a picturesque backdrop for the art. With its café-kitchen-bar, park-side ambiance, and even a WW2 bunker (featuring three spaces), Waterkant was a great setting for the festival. In curating ‘KAZEMAT: WORM X ACHTERBAN,’ the organisers looked to acknowledge and celebrate the common artistic and social connections, cultural needs, and tempo shared by Den Haag and Rotterdam. They successfully bridged the gap between these two cities, nurturing a vibrant artistic community while enriching the cultural landscape of the region. This event was a testament to the power of collaboration and creativity, leaving a lasting impression on all who attended, and further cementing the bond between Den Haag and Rotterdam in the realm of multidisciplinary art.
– Den Haag loves Rotterdam-
Safe Space for Stupid Ideas Maarten Keus
For several years we wanted Maarten Keus spiritual father of Safe Space for Stupid Ideas to exhibit in the bunker. But we never managed to raise enough funds to invite him. Hopefully we will in the future.
Opening of the season presenting Waterkant’s new chef Mattia Papp
Sandro Bruti @ Bootjesfeest
Bosz de Kler plays accordeon
filmshoot of Call me Agnes by Daniel Donato
February 2023
Graphic Designer Mees Tonis and friends
