In the Middle of One, the Start of Something New

We are now halfway through the exhibition phase of "ME/YOU, US/THEM" at @Droog, and I have to say, I truly enjoy receiving so many positive responses from our visitors. In the Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool, the title of the exhibition was highlighted as a reference to the absurdity of borders and the contrasts between different social groups, as well as individual differences. 

If you haven’t seen the exhibition yet, please visit us. We have some special dates: 

• On June 6 and 8, and you can join a guided tour, sign up here

• On June 23 and 30 Rotterdam based artist Efrat Zehavi will reside in our gallery, to make plasticine portraits of all kinds of people while engaging in a conversation with them. Her themes are origin, family and migration.

• On June 27, we organise an exploratory talk, where Farid Tabarki will go in conversation with Koert Debeuf (professor of Middle East Studies, author of the book ‘Tribalization: Why War is Coming’) and Naeeda Aurangzeb (journalist, author of the book ‘365 dagen Nederlander’). They will explore the (historical) need for a clash of ideas partly powered by a multitude of identities. How successful are we in this day and age in creating the right amount of clashes? And what is needed to make these a two-way street instead of a zero-sum game? The talk will be in Dutch, and you can get your tickets here. 

As we reached the midpoint of this exhibition, I am excited to share more about our upcoming event. We are preparing for the third edition of our CAN REON festival in the Barcelona area, in the hills of Tiana, scheduled for 27 and 28 September. This festival explores the interplay between nature, art, and technology. The festival offers a perfect backdrop for artists addressing contemporary experiences, fusing traditional themes with new digital works. Here, play and art, food and performance will come together in nature. In my next letter, I will delve deeper into this. But if you want to be an early bird, you can get more information now.