In a world where art and activism intertwine, Meet "Candy for Your Thoughts," 

The form of a delightful cupcake, a universal symbol of joy and sweetness. Its allure lies not in its delectable appearance but in the meaning it carries.
The cupcake evoke’s a sense of wonder and playfulness at first glance. Yet, beneath the surface, it holds a powerful and poignant commentary on the current state of our environment.

A delightful cupcake Sprinkled with confetti, (Punch holed page by page by hand from the IPPC climate report) and plastic nurdles found on the beaches underscores the urgent need for balance in our actions and choices to protect our planet for future generations.

As viewers contemplate the art object, they are reminded of the delicate balance between human desires and the natural world's well-being. It urges us to consider the environmental cost of our actions and the steps we must take to ensure a sustainable future.

While it may be a delectable treat for the eyes its reminding us that we hold the power to shape the world's destiny.

ELEVEN DAYS, 3068 PAGES.

There’s an elephant in the room (the lack of sense of necessity) 

Amare* The Hague, 7-17 November 2022.

An eleven day art intervention / performance during COP27 (Conference of the Parties) 

COP27 is the 27th annual UN meeting on climate. COP27 is taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt.

Eleven days 10 hours a day between November 7 and November 17 - 2022 changing the full 3086 pages of the IPCC climate reports into confetti by hand.
The art performance / intervention invited the viewer into the work to turn the report into confetti together knowing the importance of the report where at the same time in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt the COP27 started.

* Amare The Hague (house for the arts @ NDT, Royal Conservatoire and the Residentie Orkest.)

Episode two, November 30 to December 12- 2023

Souvenirs from Calais 

This work; a series of (souvenirs) created after volunteering in the refugee camp, the so called Jungle in Calais, France.

After the main camp, the Jungle was demolished, I often came back (and I still do) to that area on the outskirts of Calais seeing it changing again. 
I collected here the fragments, memories like artefacts of a present past.
You can call it souvenirs of times and places we don’t want to remember.

Volunteering in the refugee camp in Calais, the Jungle, was a profound experience that deeply affected my artistic practice. It brought into sharp focus the harsh realities faced by marginalized communities and individuals. This experience heightened my awareness of social injustice and the power imbalances present in society. It reinforced the critical nature of my work, inspiring me to use art as a tool for raising awareness, fostering empathy, and advocating for change.

Calais, France.. The jungle..

I saw sadness, I saw happiness, I saw the most terrible in humanity and the most beautiful in mankind.

The Jungle, the biggest slump of Western Europe a total disgrace to humanity.

I felt completely lost and and somehow full of shame, I still feel it now, can I even write about it? Am I allowed too? the controverse, what was I doing there? 
Trying to do something to help I brought shuffles that I collected through a radio program on the local radio (Radio Drenthe) in the north of the Netherlands
I thought that would be handy in the mud of Calais.
After arriving the French police confiscated half of them.the other half I could hide them just in time.
Why am I writhing this anyway? Why did I made this work? Why do I call it souvenirs. For me it’s from my respect to the people who were living there. Those circumstances the hardest ones people can suffer and that I will never experience. I’m  writing this and made this work because of something we all must be aware off, the power structures in life the injustice. I’m writing this and made this work because it must be remembered. 

Nestled amid the vibrant festivities of a festival in stands a simple structure that transcends its physical form. A Dome, adorned with life vests, emerges as a powerful symbol of feeling safe and sheltered, reflecting the indomitable spirit of resilience and hope and to draw attention to the CampToCampus project, by the Movement on the Ground foundation. This ambitious project redefines the design and layout of refugee camps.

Musicians from different parts of the world who have come to Europe as refugees, taking the festival-goers with them in their culture, reflecting on hope and the dangers they had face to endure. 

The Life Vests:

The life vests, each one telling a story.

These life vests were once a lifeline for refugees who embarked on treacherous journeys across the Aegean Sea, seeking safety and sanctuary in Europe. 

Knowing that many of the life jackets that are traded are made of wrong materials and do not offer the safety for which they are intended.

A Symbol of Empathy:

The dome is a testament and stands as a symbol of feeling safe and sheltered, reminding us all of the boundless capacity for compassion and resilience within humanity. a beacon of light that shines brightly in even the darkest of times.

At the same time it reminds us of the most terrible sides of humanity, where we often prefer to look away.