Lessons From Departure: Shattered World at Galerie du Nord
From 14-18 October 2026, I’ll be showing portraits from Lessons From Departure: Shattered World at Galerie du Nord in Amsterdam-Noord, as part of OPEN04, the fourth and final exhibition in the gallery’s Open Call 2026 programme.

I’m exhibiting alongside Monique van Berkel, Iris van Valkenhoef, Teresa Villaseñor, Esther den Brok and Javiera González Velásquez. Six artists sharing one space, bringing together painting, drawing, ceramics, portraiture and textile art.

Lessons From Departure began with conversations. Developed with COA in the Netherlands, the project explores the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers building new lives here. Those conversations have shaped both the portraits and the stories that accompany them.

Departure and arrival mean something different for each person. Finding greater safety can sit alongside uncertainty, separation from family and the practical work of beginning again. Throughout the project, I’ve wanted to make room for those differences, and for the relationships, interests and everyday details through which we come to know one another.

The portraits develop through my Remix process, layering and reconstructing photographic fragments. Features overlap and shift, inviting the viewer to spend time with the image. Partial concealment also helps protect participants’ identities, privacy and safety.
For me, that process carries a question through the work: how much can we understand about another person from a single image?

I hope visitors will look closely, spend time with the stories and return to the portraits with something more to consider.

The works on display are lacquered acrylic on MDF, each measuring 50 × 70 cm. All works are on loan for this exhibition. My thanks to their owners for making it possible to share them again.
If you’re in Amsterdam, I’d love you to come and see the work.
Visit the exhibition

• Dates: 14–18 October 2026
• Venue: Galerie du Nord, Buikslotermeerplein 1730b, 1025 XL Amsterdam-Noord
• Opening days: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 13:00
• Art Borrel: Friday 16 October, 16:00–19:00
• Admission: Free
  
  Explore the portraits, stories and ongoing development of the project at Lessons From Departure.