5 Dutch exhibitions you cannot miss this summer

Interior based on bacteria, spaces morphing perception and the merging of man, animal and machine. These five must see exhibitions in the Netherlands explore the intersection of art, technology and nature. Works that reconnect the creativity of the human mind with the intelligence of biodiversity. Nature becomes the designer, technology the lover. Rising up off your bed made of plants to the smell of a morning coffee from Alexa. These expos recognize, relate and reflect on our technological realities. Our next nature is already here, and its as wonderful as ever.

Tabita Rezaire: Symbiose Immaculée
Until 15 August at Centraal Museum & Impakt Centre (Utrecht)

Enter a cosmic journey through technology, spirituality and African history with artist Tabita Rezaire. Not only is her latest video installation Orbit Diapason (2021) on view in the Annex of the Centraal Museum, you can find the works Mamelles Ancestrales (2019), Peaceful Warrior (2015) and Sorry for Real (2015) at the IMPAKT Centre. The common thread is the display of alternative perspectives on dominant technological narratives.

PS: Not around? Check out their webproject here.

Microbial Oasis
Until 5 September at Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen

Viruses have always been part of our eco systems. Now, viruses have become part of our memesphere. In the Genieloods of Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen, artist Katja Novitskova generates images based on the publicly accessible “protein database” containing images of viruses and proteins within human bodies. Novitskova presents Microbial Oasis; an investigation of the relationship between organism, design, and capital. Novitskova's thoughts on biodiversity, organic design, bio-databases, and hybrid molecular structures are incorporated in an installation with hanging objects and new video work.

Christiaan Zwanikken
Until 12 September at Rijksmuseum Twenthe (Enschede)

Christiaan Zwanikken is known for his kinetic sculptures, in which man, animal and machine merge. Zwanikken is fascinated by what he calls the 'superior sensibility' of plants. Such as the way in which plants react to their environment and how they communicate with each other through all kinds of chemical and biological processes. Zwanikken's latest work is the assumption that the human activities that cause climate change and loss of biodiversity are with regard to how we experience the world. Without empathy for biodiversity, it will be practically impossible to build a stable psychological foundation for the future. Reconnecting the creativity of the human mind with the intelligence of biodiversity is the only way to restore the balance between humans and other life forms.

Real Feelings: Emotion and Technology
Until 12 September at MU Hybrid Art House (Eindhoven)

Digital technologies have become an extension of ourselves: at home, at school and in the hospital. Robots take on empathetic tasks as smart assistants and even fulfill sexual desires. We communicate more with technology than with each other. Emotions make us human. They distinguish us from robots and other machines. But does our digital age require a redefinition? Machines are getting smarter, but is that also narrowing the gap of emotional intelligence between humans and machines? Are we still in control of our own emotions when our lives are so mediated by technology? That's what this expo explores.

Design by Nature
Until 3 Oktober at Museum de Fundatie (Zwolle)

How will we build in the next nature? An exhibition about artists working with nature to shape a new sustainable world. Using bio based materials - think bee resin, horse manure and even urine as a source. The inevitability of nature outliving humanity inspires the exhibition. Asking can we save the world from the climate crisis? Is there beauty in sustainability? Perhaps housed in a wall of popcorn, sleeping in a bedroom made of plants, resting on furniture made of insects and wearing shoes based on bacteria.