DRIES RUTTEN
AT LEAST WE HAVE OUR HEALTH
From elderly nudists to sunburnt skin, his realistic paintings are rendered with a gently romantic, softened brushstroke, where humor and the uncanny are never far away.
Vernissage Fri 23 jan 2026 6 pm - 9 pm
Sat 24 jan
Sun 25 jan
2 pm - 5 pm
Wed 4 pm - 7 pm
or by appointment
Finissage Fri 30 jan 2026 5 pm - 9 pm part of BORGER NOCTURNES
NOORTJE PALMERS - THE FAMILY QUESTION
One part of the expo IMMENSE will be on display at Beamstreet Studio. THE FAMILY QUESTION / KINDERWENS.
What is a family? What does it mean to you? How do you cope with loss? Could it be discussed more openly? Because "having a baby" unfortunately sounds simpler than it is. Sometimes it goes smoothly, sometimes by accident, and sometimes it doesn't work out or goes wrong. Even choosing not to have children isn't a decision that's made overnight. Fifty-five women, of all shapes, sizes, and ages, are gathered and divided into "everything goes smoothly" and "complex stories." Women who didn’t experience any difficulties conceiving or during pregnancy are dressed in green, those who did are dressed in red. However, I let them choose the color they preferred to identify with. For example, two women had already changed their color by the time I captured their portraits.
The image demonstrates it: for 1 in 3 people, wanting to have children is a complex journey. Fertility issues largely occur behind closed doors. After all, there's no bulging belly to reveal anything. Additionally, a "family portrait" was taken of each woman, allowing the context to be shown without too many words. What or who, in what form, is her family?
I remember a moment during the shoot where all the women, each with their own different stories, stood facing the same spot. The moment I asked them across the water to look at me, I felt an energy through the lens that gave me goosebumps. Afterwards, I heard that everyone felt this, this energy, this connection. This is why I'm a photographer; I'll never forget this image, and it begs for more. A podcast is in the making, and I'll continue photographing up to 100 families.
Fri. 13 March 6pm - 9pm
Sat. 14 March 2pm - 5 pm
Sun. 15 March 10am - 1 pm
Sun. 15 March 2pm - 5pm : Only for participants
Dalilla Hermans
Dalilla Hermans is a multidisciplinary artist whose work moves fluidly between language, performance and image. Known for her voice as a writer and thinker, she began drawing and painting as a way to slow down and find calm. When words became too sharp or insufficient, color and line offered another way of speaking. Quieter, more physical, and rooted in presence.
Her paintings are driven by intuition rather than concept. They emerge from sensation, emotion and movement, guided by bold color choices and a physical engagement with the canvas. Much like Frida Kahlo, Dalilla uses color not as decoration, but as a carrier of meaning. A new way to speak about identity, pain, resilience and joy without softening their edges.
Social awareness runs through the work. Questions of belonging, power, femininity and visibility surface organically, embedded in texture and hue rather than stated outright. There is critique here, but also tenderness. The personal and the political are inseparable, echoing a lineage of artists who used their own bodies and inner lives as sites of resistance.
This exhibition does not present finished answers. It shows an artist allowing herself to be present, vulnerable and unapologetic. Playfulness exists alongside gravity; beauty alongside discomfort. The works ask the viewer not to decode them, but to feel their weight and warmth.
For Dalilla, painting is not an endpoint, but a space of encounter. Between body and mind, silence and expression, artist and audience. It is an invitation to slow down, to sit with complexity, and to recognize how color can speak where language pauses.
NELSON DE BOK & WOUTER DE KOOT
NELSON DE BOK & WOUTER VAN DE KOOT show us UNDERTOW. noun for a current of water below the surface, moving in a different direction from any surface current.
Nelson de Bok - Combining etchings, oil and bistre paintings, sculptures and drawings, Nelson de Bok translates his innate social engagement in themes such as war and injustice. He combines craftmanship and classical composition with the need to convey a message in a contemporary way. He introduces selfmade ‘stand-ins’ as characters in his work, resulting in a dark world that makes you think and appreciate the image in itself, regardless of the theme.
Wouter van de Koot - In his most recent work, Wouter van de Koot explores legends in which female power plays a central role. He transforms friends, lovers, and himself into characters in paintings based on ancient tales of revenge, power, seduction and submission. Through clear, figurative imagery, he depicts the inseparable connection between opposing forces in the world in theatrical scenes and symbols of living nature.