Are miracles allowed to remain miracles?

Kunstfort Vijfhuizen lies in Haarlemmermeer, once a fierce lake called ‘Waterwolf’ for the floods that devoured the land. Feats of engineering drained the lake to keep Amsterdam and Leiden dry, transforming it into fertile, habitable land. In doing so, the once overwhelming power of water was mastered to serve human needs and desires. The saying goes, “God created the earth, but the Dutch made Holland.”

“If Only We Could Master Miracles” is an exhibition programme exploring our unrelenting drive to comprehend, quantify, replicate, and control natural and cosmic phenomena. With wonder, mystery, and curiosity as a starting point, the journey moves through the realms of science, rationality, and capitalism.

The exhibition tells the story of the silkworm, bred in captivity for its remarkable ability to produce the finest silk. It recalls the fading sounds of the Northern Lights, which only few still remember hearing. It gives voice to the sturgeon fish exploited for its power to preserve priceless works of art. It delves into the world’s deepest man-made hole, where rumours of screams echo from its depths. And it finds hope for the future in 20,000-year-old ice bubbles.

The exhibited works are by:

Justin Ben­nett (UK), Suzette Bousema (NL), Mónica Mays (ES), Sébastien Robert (FR), and Annabel Quick (UK)

Click here for exhibition programme.