Events – Quartair

The Elemental

28 August – 19 September 2026
Exhibition hours: from Thursday through Sunday, 12:00 – 18:00

The Elemental presents works that criss-cross in a continuous installation. Nine artists from the South seas (Aotearoa, New Zealand) and ten artists from the North Sea (The Hague) share their visions on what’s elemental – the sea, the air, the earth, the changing climate, and the delicate systems that connect them all.

The exhibition is both a journey and an invitation to pause. Here, climate is not only data and change, but also atmosphere, rhythm, light, temperature, and the quiet transformation of the world around us. The programme, curated by Sonja van Kerkhoff (Kawakawa / The Hague), includes performances, workshops, a short film festival, and a sound walk.

Participating artists: A.A.M. Bos, Anna Borrie, Yair Callender, Cle Tukuitonga, Denise Batchelor, Dr P, George Nuku, Phil Dadson, Kawiti Wiremu; Anna J. van Stuijvenberg, Astrid Nobel, Jessy Rahman, Jesus Canuto Iglesias, Ludmila Rodrigues, Pietertje van Splunter, Sanne Maes, Zeger Reyers, Thom Vink and Sonja van Kerhoff.

header image: Zeger Reyers’ Aqua Boogie II, 2006

Programme:

Opening Friday, 28 Aug
19.00 with a pōwhiri, Māori welcome, gathering outside.
20:00 performances throughout the space.

Saturday, 29 Aug
12:00-13:00 Draw a kiwi: Life drawing session where a New Zealander is the model. Bring your own drawing materials. Anatomical tutoring is optional. Refreshments supplied. Cost €5. Maximum 20 participants. Booking required. Please email sonjavank2@gmail.com before 26 August.

16:00-17:30 Ask a kiwi / Tea Party – Ask anything to the artists who will talk about their practice: a tea party and an opportunity to meet the New Zealand artists in this exhibitio

Sunday, 6 Sep
12:00-13:30: Tāonga pūoro: Make a pūtangitangi. Sonja van Kerkhoff will give a run down on the revival of Maori traditional musical instruments, demonstrate a few and you can make your own pūtangitangi to take home. Maximum 20 participants.
Cost €5 per participant. Booking required. Email sonjavank2@gmail.com before 1 Sept.

Friday, 18 Sept
20:00-21:00 The 4th One Hour International Film Festival. Programme of films less than 5 minutes long will be announced by 1 Sept. More info: sonjavank.com/ohisff

Sunday, 13 Sept
16.30-18.00 The Monument(al): – Sonja van Kerkhoff will give a talk (in English) about the history of this old bakery and its function over the past decades as a contemporary art space, finishing with a brief outline of New Zealand Maori buildings and uses as these relate to the current exhibition. Historic monuments are open that day as part of openmonumentendag.

Finissage Saturday, 19 Sept
13:00 A walk with Spinoza – soundwalk and discussion. Please register by emailing sonjavank2@gmail.com.
15:00-18:00 performances

With thanks to Stroom Den Haag

Modelo62 open studio

Modelo62 wraps up the season by making new music – and inviting the public to experience it. On Sunday July 5th, they will open their temporary studio at Quartair to share a new sonic exploration/musical installation hosted by Ezequiel Menalled. This is a walk-in/walk-out experience where the audience is invited to witness the backstage of a creative process.

Modelo62 is working on new materials for new pieces and you can be part of this moment of research, share the experience with the ensemble and have a few drinks too.

Modelo62’s studio is open on Sunday, July 5th, from 19:00 to 20:30.
Free entrance.
Book your spot via email to info@modelo62.com

Modelo62 is an ensemble that focuses on the performance of contemporary music, with a strong interdisciplinary component. Next to performing existing contemporary repertoire, the driving ambition of Modelo62 is to create tailor-made works for the group in collaboration with young as well as established composers and makers from a variety of disciplines. Modelo62 functions as a laboratory for new artistic experiments.

Visit also: www.modelo62.com

Unifying Fury

EX-MÊKH at Quartair Contemporary Art Initiatives

EX-MÊKH is in 2006 ontstaan vanuit de wens tentoonstellingen te maken waarin het individuele werk een onderlinge relatie aangaat en zich verhoudt tot de plek. In Unifying Fury is recent werk te zien. De titel komt voort uit het idee van een samenwerkende energie.

EX-MÊKH viert hun 20-jarige samenwerking met een installatie die gedurende de hele tentoonstellingsperiode elke dag zal transformeren. De tentoonstelling zal worden geopend door EX-MÊKH met als speciale gast Isolde Nagel, oprichter en curator van A TRANS uit Berlijn.

Opening: vrijdag, 19 juni – 19.00 uur
Periode expositie: 19 – 28 juni 2026
Openingstijden: vrijdag t/m zondag, 13.00 – 17.30 uur

Doe je mee aan ‘De Fury’?
Tijdens de tentoonstelling Unifying Fury maken de kunstenaars van EX-MÊKH samen met bezoekers een tijdelijke installatie in de ruimte van Quartair. Door toevoegingen zal deze sculptuur elke dag veranderen. De basis is stucloper, een kartonnen vloerbescherming die we zullen laten golven, zweven en verplaatsen. We willen zo inspiratie binnen laten stromen en de verbeelding aan het werk zetten. Met deze installatie willen we het gezamenlijk handelen vieren, waarbij met respect voor elkaar aan een gezamenlijke sculptuur wordt gewerkt samengesteld uit vele beelden en waar ruimte is voor uitwisseling en reflectie.

Meedoen kan als volgt:
Inloop tijdens alle openingstijden en extra op do 25 juni vanaf 14 uur
(materialen zijn aanwezig of zelf meenemen).

Op 28 juni zal tijdens de Finissage om 16 uur het moment zijn waarop ‘The Fury expands’.
Op dat moment zal de installatie uiteenvallen in talloze stukken die verdeeld worden onder makers en liefhebbers.

Kunstenaarscollectief EX-MÊKH bestaat uit drie beeldend kunstenaars: Ellen Rodenberg, Kees Koomen en Maarten Schepers.

Websites
www.ex-mekh.nl
www.maartenschepers.nl
www.ellenrodenberg.nl
www.keeskoomen.nl

Met dank aan:

Opening ‘Unifying Fury’, 19 June 2026. Photos by Dana LaMonda

Unifying Fury

Unifying Fury features recent work by the artists of EX-MÊKH collective. EX-MÊKH was started in 2006 out of a desire to create exhibitions in which the individual works interact with one another and relate to the space.

The title Unifying Fury reflects the idea of a collaborative energy. EX-MÊKH is celebrating their 20-year collaboration with an installation that will transform every day throughout the exhibition period.

The exhibition will be opened by EX-MÊKH with special guest Isolde Nagel, founder and curator of A TRANS from Berlin.

Opening: Friday, June 19, 7:00 PM
Exhibition from June 19–28, 2026
Opening hours: Friday through Sunday, from 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Will you join “The Fury”?
During Unifying Fury, EX-MÊKH artists will collaborate with visitors to create a temporary installation at Quartair. This sculpture will change every day as new elements are added. The base is a cardboard floor roll that we will have undulating, floating, and shifting. In this way, we want to let inspiration flow in and set the imagination to work. With this installation, we aim to celebrate collective action, working together with respect for one another on a shared sculpture (composed of many images) while creating space for exchange and reflection.

You can participate as follows:
Drop in during all opening hours and additionally on Thursday, June 25, starting at 2 PM (materials are provided or you can bring your own).

June 28, during the closing event, 4 PM will be the moment “The Fury expands”. At that moment, the installation will break apart into countless pieces that will be distributed among creators and art-enthusiasts.

The collective EX-MÊKH consists of three visual artists: Ellen Rodenberg, Kees Koomen, and Maarten Schepers.

Websites
www.ex-mekh.nl
www.maartenschepers.nl
www.ellenrodenberg.nl
www.keeskoomen.nl

With thanks to Stroom Den Haag

robe blue, fond rouge #3

tentoonstelling: 22 mei t/m 14 juni
Openingstijden: vrijdag t/m zondag van 13 – 17.30 uur
Opening: vrijdag, 22 mei -19 uur
Hoogtij #85: vrijdag, 29 mei 19-23 uur

Deelnemende kunstenaars: Sander van Deurzen, Bernice Nauta, Evi Vingerling, Hanae Wilke, Vera van de Seyp, Majda Vidakovic, Fons Haagmans en Piet Nieuwenhuysen.

robe bleu, fond rouge #3 is de titel van een tentoonstelling met een focus op schilderkunst. Onder dezelfde naam vindt nu voor de derde keer een tentoonstelling plaats in de ruimte van Quartair De tentoonstelling wordt samengesteld door de kunstenaars Nies Vooijs, Annemieke Louwerens en Pietertje van Splunter en geeft om de 2 of 3 jaar jaar een update op de staat van de schilderkunst gezien vanuit Den Haag.

robe bleu fond rouge #3

exhibition from 22 May to 14 June, 2026
Opening on Friday, May 22nd at 7PM
Visiting hours: Friday through Sunday, 1PM–5:30PM
Hoogtij #85: Friday, 29 May, from 7PM–11PM

Participating artists: Sander van Deurzen, Bernice Nauta, Evi Vingerling, Hanae Wilke, Vera van de Seyp, Majda Vidakovic, Fons Haagmans en Piet Nieuwenhuysen.

The title Robe bleu, fond rouge — taken from a painting by Henri Matisse — refers to the essence of painting: color, form, and paint on canvas. At the same time, it points to what cannot be captured in words. The visual takes center stage. Curated by Nies Vooijs, Annemieke Louwerens, and Pietertje van Splunter, every two to three years, the exhibition offers a current perspective on painting from The Hague.

opening Robe bleu fond rouge #3, 22 May 2026

With thanks to Stroom Den Haag, gallery tegenboschvanvreden, Cécile Hessels, Ans de Groot, Hein Andrea, and Hendri v d Putten.

Yareta, site-specific sound work by Germaine Sijstermans

This year’s resident of ensemble Modelo62, Germaine Sijstermans, is developing her new site-specific installation ‘Yareta’, over the period of three weeks at Quartair. Yareta is composed as an open score, making each of the quartet’s three live performances a unique experience. Central to the music is timbre, sound textures, and a continuous interplay with perception itself, for both musicians and listeners.

The installation is to visitors during opening hours, with the music playing through four speakers. Visitors are invited to wander freely through the space; listening, watching, thinking, lazing, and daydreaming. ‘Yareta’ is composed as an open score, making each of the quartet’s three live performances a unique experience.

The music is performed by Elliot Simpson (guitar), Santiago Lascurain (guitar), Germaine Sijstermans (clarinet), Guy Vandromme (Indian harmonium), Leslee Smucker (lights).

Live concerts:
Friday, April, 24th. 20:30 – free entrance
Saturday, May, 2nd. 20:30 – €12,50 / students €7
Sunday May 10th. 16:00 – €12,50 / students €7

Quartair newsletter subscribers and friends get 100% discount, with code: QUARTAIR (capital letters): Get tickets to Yareta here

Installation visiting hours 13:00 – 17:00 on the following dates:
April: 25, 26, 30
May: 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10

Germaine Sijstermans • Photo by Joris Hilterman

Yareta is commissioned by Modelo62 and Gerliene & Sven Karssenberg-Schlijper (The Loveworms Commissions) and is supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten, Gemeente Den Haag, and Intro in Situ.

Proximity Music | BROM

As part of Proximity Music @ Rewire Festival 2026 we received Mariska de Groot’s installation spatial BROM.

An old spinning top that Mariska de Groot found at a flea market sparked the idea for a sound installation. Immediately fascinated by this colourful children’s toy and its humming harmonies, she delved into the history and mechanics of these ingenious spinning tops. The result is BROM, a choir of motorised, rotating, harmonium-like instruments suspended from the ceiling, creating sounds through a system of air and reeds. Each instrument is tuned differently, creating shifting interferences and rhythmic vibrations, immersing visitors in a hypnotic soundscape as they move through the space.

iii member Mariska de Groot is an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of light, sound, and space. She creates immersive installations in which self-built instruments create dynamic, multisensory environments. Inspired by seemingly simple historical inventions, her work reinterprets these inventions through experimental approaches, exploring the role of technology, perception, and spatial experience.

Proximity Music is a joint exhibition programme initiated by iii and Rewire. It seeks to connect sound, architecture, and technology through intimate sensory experiences. As part of Rewire 2026, the sixth edition, titled Proximity Music: The Ongoing Hum, will take place from 9 to 12 April across various locations in the centre of The Hague.

Proximity Music: The Ongoing Hum focuses on attuning to the seemingly inaudible rhythms, vibrations, and radiations that coexist in our environment. The exhibition brings together diverse instruments and compositions that stimulate new ways of perceiving our everyday surroundings: from tapping into the electricity of cyanobacteria and sensing the heartbeat of strangers to the barely audible frequencies resonating in ceramic vessels and immersion in a hypnotic humming top soundscape. Tuning into the hidden rhythms of the physical world, this exhibition transforms materials into portals by encouraging listening beyond the ears. More info: linktr.ee/proximitymusic

This exhibition is supported by Stroom Den Haag, Creative Industries Fund NL, The Municipality of The Hague, Konrad Boehmer Foundation and Cultuurfonds.

Tekenen = Spelen

Van 13 t/m 29 maart 2026 
Opening: vrijdag, 13 maart 2026, van 17.00 tot 23.00 uur (Hoog t ij)
Openingstijden: donderdag t/m zondag van 13.00-17.00 uur
Finissage & kunstenaarsgesprek: zondag, 29 maart 2026, 14.00–16.00 uur 

Van 13 t/m 29 maart 2026 verandert de Nederlandse Kring van Tekenaars (NKvT) onze projectruimte in een vrije speelruimte voor tekenen en onderzoek. Onder de titel Tekenen = Spelen werken kunstenaars samen in een open laboratorium, waarin het proces belangrijker is dan het eindresultaat. Experimenteren, falen en opnieuw beginnen krijgen hier volop ruimte.

De tentoonstelling opent feestelijk op vrijdag 13 maart van 17.00 tot 19.00 uur, met aansluitend Hoogtij. Op zondag 29 maart van 14.00 tot 16.00 uur vindt een afsluitend publiek gesprek plaats, waarin de kunstenaars reflecteren op de samenwerkingen en de nieuwe ontdekkingen die tijdens de werkperiode zijn ontstaan.

Quartair is opgedeeld in vier werkzones, waarin groepjes het thema vrijheid vanuit verschillende invalshoeken onderzoeken: in materiaal, in denken, in ruimte en als inhoudelijk concept. Bezoekers zijn getuige van een voortdurend veranderende tentoonstelling, waarin samenwerking, dialoog en experiment centraal staan.

Zoete Broodjes 
In de achterruimte is de groepsexpositie Zoete Broodjes te zien: kleine tekeningen in het formaat van kadetjes en broden, om direct mee te nemen, geïnspireerd op de geschiedenis van de Haagsche Broodfabriek waarin Quartair is gevestigd.

Over de NKvT 
De Nederlandse Kring van Tekenaars verenigt kunstenaars die autonome tekenkunst als kern van hun werk zien. Sinds 1947 maakt de NKvT de ontwikkeling van tekenkunst zichtbaar en biedt een platform voor ontmoeting, onderzoek en uitwisseling. Meer informatie: www.nvkt.nl

Tekenen = Spelen is een uitnodiging om vrijheid niet alleen te bekijken, maar ook te ervaren: als bezoeker, als maker en als mens.

Kunstenaars 
Hanna de Haan, Yvonne van de Griendt, Inez Ishizaki, Ben van der Wel, Lisanne Sloots, Natascha Waeyen, Selma Dronkers, Nanou Jacobs, Anna Rudolf, Zela Odessa Palmer, Laurens Heidendael, Yvonne van den Herik, Marijke Vijfhuizen, Tom Heerschop, Anne Verhoijsen, Emma van Drongelen, Liesje van den Berk, Sandra Mackus, Wilma Laarakker, Herman Fontein, Egbarta Veenhuizen, Janneke Tangelder, Ingeborg Oderwald, Bernadette Beunk, Georg Bohle, Matthijs van Zessen, Thérèse Zoekende.

Foto’s opening door Dana LaMonda, 13 maart 2026

Tekenen = Spelen (“Drawing = Playing”) is an invitation not only to observe freedom, but also to experience it: as a visitor, as a creator, and as a human being.

March 13–29, 2026
Opening: Friday, March 13, from 5Pm to 11PM (during Hootgij #84)
Exhibition hours: Thursday through Sunday, 1:00-5:00 PM
Finisage & artist talk: Sunday, March 29, 2:00–4:00 PM

organized by NKvT (the Dutch Circle of Drawing Artists)

Participating artists: Hanna de Haan, Yvonne van de Griendt, Inez Ishizaki, Ben van der Wel, Lisanne Sloots, Natascha Waeyen, Selma Dronkers, Nanou Jacobs, Anna Rudolf, Zela Odessa Palmer, Laurens Heidendael, Yvonne van den Herik, Marijke Vijfhuizen, Tom Heerschop, Anne Verhoijsen, Emma van Drongelen, Liesje van den Berk, Sandra Mackus, Wilma Laarakker, Herman Fontein, Egbarta Veenhuizen, Janneke Tangelder, Ingeborg Oderwald, Bernadette Beunk, Georg Bohle, Matthijs van Zessen, Thérèse Zoekende.

Quartair project space will transform into a playground for drawing, freedom, and research. The artists collaborate as in an open laboratory, where the process is more important than the end result.

Van Damascus naar Den Haag

Tijdens Van Damascus naar Den Haag organiseren we een driedaagse workshop met Syrische kunstenaars en deelnemers met een Syrische achtergrond. Beeldende kunst, video art, muziek en schilderkunst komen samen in een gezamenlijk creatieproces.

Gedurende drie dagen werken de deelnemers samen aan één collectieve installatie rond het thema rechtvaardige transitie. Het werk wordt gevoed door poëzie, korte films en groepsgesprekken. Deze momenten van uitwisseling en reflectie vormen de inspiratiebron voor de artistieke ontwikkeling van de installatie.

De workshop biedt ruimte voor ontmoeting, verbeelding en gedeelde verhalen. Kunst wordt hier gebruikt als middel om ervaringen te delen, vragen te stellen en samen na te denken over toekomst, herinnering en rechtvaardigheid.

Op 8 maart wordt de gezamenlijke installatie gepresenteerd aan het publiek. Na de iftar, om 19.00 uur, openen we de expositie met live muziek en optredens. Het resultaat is een moment van samenzijn, waarin kunst, cultuur en dialoog samenkomen.

During “From Damascus to The Hague,” we are organizing a three-day workshop with Syrian artists and participants with a Syrian background. Visual art, video art, music, and painting will come together in a collaborative creative process.

Over these three days, the participants will collaborate on a single collective installation around the theme of just transition. The work will be informed by poetry, short films, and group discussions. These moments of exchange and reflection will inspire the installation’s artistic development.

The workshop offers a space for encounters, imagination, and shared stories. Art will be used as a means to share experiences, ask questions, and reflect together on the future, memory, and justice.

The collaborative installation will be presented to the public on March 8th. After the iftar, at 7:00 PM, we will open the exhibition with live music and performances. The result is a moment of togetherness, where art, culture, and dialogue converge.

Nine Dragon Heads | Crossing Currents

Exhibition 22-28 Feb 2026

Opening Sunday, Feb 22nd
15:00 opening with performances

Presentations Monday, Feb 23rd
15:00 Lecture by critic Rhee Gyeong-Mo
16:00 Artists talks

Exhibition hours: Thursday through Saturday, 13:00-17:00

Crossing Currents presents a dynamic survey of Korean contemporary art that reflects the country’s rapid cultural transformations and its expanding role in global artistic discourse.
Bringing together artists whose practices span from installation, performance, video, photography, to post-material experimentation, the exhibition explores how Korean artists navigate themes of identity, mobility, ecology, and technological change while engaging in dialogue with European and global contexts.
Nine Dragon Heads is a Korean contemporary art nomadic platform cooperating with Quartair for over 15 years.

The exhibition positions Korea not as a remote cultural sphere but as an active participant in the transnational flow of ideas—resonating strongly with Quartair’s long-standing interest in international exchange as an experimental artistic practice.

Participating artists:
Pang Hyo-Sung (performance), Jang Gyeong-Churl (photo), Lee Hyo-im (panting), Lee Ae-Kyeong (painting), Vania Oh (object), Kim Young-Jin (Video), Kim Kyeol-Soo (installation), Kwon Ki-Ja (object), Kwon Ki-Chul (drawing), Pak Kyong-OK (painting), Park Si-Hyun (installation), Bahk Young-Hoon (video), Noh Jung-Ha (Video) Ran Hwang (object), Lee Young-Ae (drawing), Park Seung-Jae (painting), Lara Goo (object), Yemi Kim (animation), Nam Myung-Ok (video), Nam Hyun-Joo (painting).

This event is supported by AAW (Asian Artworks) and MOON Gallery 101.

The Environmental Art Symposium Nine Dragon Heads was initiated in South Korea by Park, Byoung-Uk in response to the destruction of an important historical site in 1995, and has evolved from the specific eco-political motivation into an open, interdisciplinary nomadic platform where an association of artists from around the world implement individual and collaborative art projects related to humanitarian, political, environmental and cultural issues.

The origins of Nine Dragon Heads are part of a distinct continuum of artistic development in Korea, beginning in the 1980s and 90s with a small group of artists (contemporaries of Park) who wanted to consider artistic and philosophical problems outside of traditional Korean art forms and who were motivated to remain under the radar of the military regime and government control in place at that time. In that political environment a significant thread of South Korea’s contemporary art development took place in off-site projects, held within rural mountainous areas and remote natural sites.

During thirty years of activity Nine Dragon Heads has evolved out of its specific locality and historical background to investigate a broader range of transitional environmental, economic and political situations. A further important step for Nine Dragon Heads began in 2006 when it became actively nomadic. It was a natural progression for the project to begin to engage with other specific localities and their eco-political histories by traveling.

Working in locations with transitional characteristics that may be environmentally, economically and/or politically troubled, on important cultural, historical and geopolitical routes has become a particular feature of working within Nine Dragon Heads. It is noteworthy that Nine Dragon Heads is an inherently flexible model capable of responding perceptively and with focused spontaneity to the inevitably unexpected contextual conditions which occur within the immediate surroundings of each location the group is engaging with artistically.

Nine Dragon Heads has worked on locations throughout the South Korean Peninsula and its islands, including the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Joint Security Area (JSA) between the North and South of Korea. Other areas recently engaged include Bosnia/Herzegovina, the South Caucasus; Georgia, and Central Asian locations; Uzbekistan, Turkey, China, Tibet and Mongolia. Past projects have also taken place in Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.

ESC 2035 (I): the world paused.

Opening Friday, January 9, from 5–8 PM
Exhibition from 9 to 24 January 2026
Open hours Thursday through Saturday, 14:00–18:00

What happens when the systems we build keep running, but we are no longer there? The first chapter of the ESC 2035 trilogy explores a world in suspension. Featuring works by 8 artists, the exhibition captures a weather report of a future where technology is a landscape of dust, signals, and fossilized interfaces.

Building on the themes of ESC 2034, this chapter looks at the residue we leave behind — from sound circuits to neon warmth — asking what remains when presence is absent.

… the world paused.

Nobody’s here, but something still is. The systems haven’t shut down completely: screens, wiring, dust, and light still translate motion, heat, and air into tone.

Participating artists: Francesco Zedde, Junya Li, Laury Hooghuis, Maria Esteve Trull, S. Mercure, TJ (Tianju) Chen, Tobias Krämer, Todd Clare

This is the second show curated by 0–1.gallery at Quartair. 0–1 is a nomadic contemporary art platform that moves how it needs to — tech-aware, a bit restless, and always asking why. Since 2017, 0–1 has been shaped by artists who keep things in motion, not there for fixed ideas. There are no walls, no permanent fixtures, but a stubborn curiosity, and the need to explore issues that matter. Read more on: 0–1.gallery.

Head image: work by Junya Li