Last weekend, we hosted the finissage of the group exhibition and public programme “The hand that searched in the void”.

The day started off with a turmeric ritual by Razia Barsatie in relation to her exhibited work about cultural taboos and silence. Participants were asked to open up their palms and receive and release turmeric while humming gentle tones. This was followed by an opening speech by our director Rabiaâ Benlhabib, who walked us through the core thoughts behind this exhibition namely, holding on and letting go.

After that, Cristina Pescorán guided the audience through an interactive performance with soursop leaves which are said to have healing powers. Moved by the wind, the leaves danced on a piece of string as a way to connect with the medicine of her ancestors and to heal the wounds inflicted on her and her family’s body by colonialism and medical institutions. The installation is still present and the leaves are waiting to be taken and bring their healing powers to new destinations!

The visitors then had the chance to partake in a conversation about the uncertain world of quantum physics with TU delft professor Aurèle Adam. This was connected to Mike Rijnierse’s work “Quantum Mirror” which had its world premiere during the exhibition. After that, Luis Carlos Tovar gave an artist talk about his project revolving around the kidnapping of his father, addressing topics like memory and trauma. He also gave a sneak peak of his work-in-progress film.

The day ended with one more ritual with Razia Barsatie but this time outdoors in the warm summer sun and a talk by 97-year old veteran Goos Blok. He gave a heartfelt account of his experiences in the Dutch-East Indies, transfersing topics of violence, regret and the quest for finding peace.

We want to thank everyone for coming. We also want to extend our gratitude to those who made this exhibition programme possible!