Maurits de Bruijn ontvangt een uitnodiging van een ngo om af te reizen naar Israël en Palestina. Hij aarzelt –ooit nam hij zich voor nooit meer voet op Israëlische bodem te zetten. Toch besluit hij de confrontatie aan te gaan, vastberaden om de werkelijkheid van dichtbij te ervaren in plaats van via schermen, zoals sinds 7 oktober 2023 het geval is geweest.
Wat betekent het voor hem, als Joodse man, om terug te keren naar Israël en daarover te schrijven? Wat ontdekt hij over zijn eigen geschiedenis, en hoe verhoudt hij zich tot het verleden van zijn Joodse grootouders, die in Sobibor werden vermoord? Geweten borduurt voor op De Bruijns eerdere boek Ook mijn Holocaust (2020), en stelt de vraag: hoe schrijf je over iets dat zo allesomvattend is, en hoe breng je het terug tot menselijke proporties?
Maurits de Bruijn (1984) is redacteur bij kunsttijdschrift Mister Motley en maakte samen met Randy Vermeulen de podcast En niemand bleef onaangeraakt. Eerder schreef hij onder andere de roman Man maakt stuk (2024), genomineerd voor de Libris Literatuur Prijs, en het non-fictieboek Ook mijn Holocaust (2020).
Over Plein Publiek
Plein Publiek is een reeks verdiepende interviews met toonaangevende makers, geselecteerd door onze eigen programmamakers. Verwacht intieme gesprekken met uitzonderlijke stemmen die je aan het denken zetten.
Start je weekend met een drankje, een goed gesprek en nieuwe inzichten, in de gezellige setting van onze Pleinzaal aan het bruisende Leidseplein.
wo 18 jun / 17:30
Idee & Verbeelding
Meet the associate artist: Trajal Harrell
Meet Trajall Harrell, an American groundbreaking choreographer, and this year’s Holland Festival associate artist. We speak with Trajall Harrell about pushing the boundaries of modern dance traditions, taking risks as a renowned artist, and building new connections with your audience.
Jewher Ilham advocates for the end of Uyghur forced labour, carried out in camps like the one where her father is detained. How to encourage governments, companies and individuals to be aware of the origin of their products?
How does movement, across borders and social class, shape one’s sense of belonging? In conversation with writer and essayist Tash Aw about the social changes each generation faces and the role of memory in preserving our roots.
Nadia de Vries groeide op in dorpen in de IJmond en keek vanuit haar kinderkamer uit op de torens van de hoogovens. Deze dorpen en haar bewoners vormen het decor van haar nieuwe roman Overgave op commando. Programmamaker Katarina Schul gaat in gesprek met De Vries. Wat kenmerkt haar als schrijver? Wie zijn de personen waar ze over schrijft? En hoe ontworstel je je van de klassenverschillen?
Nadia de Vries (Heemskerk 1991) is schrijver, dichter en cultuurwetenschapper. Haar debuutroman De bakvis (2022) stond op de longlist van de Libris Literatuur Prijs en de Boekenbon Literatuurprijs. Eerder schreef ze het autobiografische Kleinzeer (2019) en Engelstalige poëziebundels. In 2020 werd ze door NRC uitgroepen tot een van literaire talenten van dat jaar. In datzelfde jaar promoveerde ze aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam als cultuurwetenschapper.
do 26 jun / 20:00
Geopolitiek & Mensenrechten
Why We Need to Talk About Crimea
Crimea has been at the epicenter of the Russian war against Ukraine. By dissecting the tumultuous history of Crimea, Cambridge-scholar Rory Finnin argues why returning Crimea to Ukrainian controle is the only path to a sustainable peace.
With the global rise of the far-right, women’s rights are increasingly under threat. French author Lauren Bastide remains hopeful: feminism can save the world, but only as a revolutionary project that seeks to improve society at all levels, for everyone.
Andrey Kurkov is considered to be one of the greatest contemporary Ukrainian writers. His work, including novels like Death and the Penguin and Grey Bees, is dark, humorous and satirical. As a keen observer of post-Soviet society, Kurkov proved to have prophetic qualities. What role does literature have in times of war?
Can independent journalism survive in the age of autocracy?Bektour Iskender, co-founder of Kyrgyz news platform Kloop, reflects on the power of international investigative journalism in confronting corruption, autocracy, and neo-imperial ambition.
In Central Asia, exposing the truth comes at a price. Bektour Iskender founded Kloop to train young journalists and uncover what others wouldn’t touch: stolen billions, rigged elections, environmental devastation. His work reached far beyond Kyrgyzstan, revealing corruption networks stretching from Central Asia and the Caucasus to Western capitals.
For this, Kloop was silenced. Iskender went into exile. But the investigations continued. In this programme, Iskender explores how journalists across Central Asia and the Caucasus are building new forms of solidarity. How international reporting networks like OCCRP are mapping corruption across borders. And how cartography itself can become a tool—not of empire, but of resistance.
Your ticket is valid for the entire day, so you’re warmly welcome to attend other programs as well. You can check the full timetable here. Please note: visitors with a ticket for a specific program will be given priority. Once a venue reaches full capacity, we unfortunately won’t be able to admit additional visitors.
About Forum on European Culture
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, Forum on European Culture 2025 (June 25 – June 29) brings together international artists, writers, and thinkers to celebrate the subversive power of art and literature.
Speakers
Bektour IskenderInvestigative journalist, Founder of Kloop
Paul RaduCo-Founder and Head of Innovation at OCCRP
Forum on European Culture: Art Against the Tyrants
Five days, 30+ programs, 40+ international artists, writers & thinkers, art installations, film screenings, talks and more
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, De Balie brings together over 40 international artists, writers, and thinkers. During Forum on European Culture, we celebrate the subversive power of art and literature. It is no
‘You can kill the messenger, but not the message’ is the slogan of news platform Forbidden Stories. We speak with founder Laurent Richard about the opportunities and challenges technology brings when working in the danger zone.
Crimea has been a starting point of the Russian war against Ukraine. By dissecting the tumultuous history of Crimea, Cambridge-scholar Rory Finnin argues why returning Crimea to Ukrainian controle is the only path to a sustainable peace.
The Russian war against Ukraine began in 2014 with the appearance of mysterious ‘little green men’ – masked, unmarked soldiers – who suddenly took over Crimea. Now, the Americans seem willing to simply give up Crimea in negotiations with Russia. But history shows us that a Russian Crimea has no future. The idea of a ‘Russian Crimea’ is a colonial phantasm enforced by decades of suppression and ethnic cleansing of the Crimean Tatars.
Renowned British scholar Rory Finnin, expert on Ukrainian history, shows how a peace deal that makes Crimea Russian territory would lay the foundation for a future of further military escalation from the Kremlin. To understand why that is, we need to understand the history, culture and geography of the contested peninsula. Together with Alim Aliev, a human rights activist and journalist who is the Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, and researcher, PhD and co-curator of the Past / Future / Art memory culture platform art curator Oksana Dovgopolova, Rory Finnin will tell the tumultuous story of Crimea.
About the speakers
Rory Finnin is Professor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Robinson College, Cambridge. He launched the Cambridge Ukrainian Studies programme in 2008. His new book, Blood of Others: Stalin’s Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity (2022), has won eight international book awards. Anne Applebaum: “Rory Finnin has written the definitive account of cultural responses to a still-hidden atrocity: the deportation of the Crimean Tatars.”
Alim Aliev is deputy director at the Ukrainian Institute and journalist, human rights activist, researcher and manager of educational and cultural projects. He worked as a program director of the state enterprise “Crimean House”, was a member of the supervisory boards of the NGO “Centre of United actions” and the NGO “Educational Center for Human Rights” in Lviv. Aliev is member and rapporteur of advocacy missions to the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the OSCE, the UN Security Council, EU and US political institutions on the situation in Crimea, and the initiator of the digital museum of deportation of Crimean Tatars “Tamırlar”.
His public and professional activities are focused on the topics of the occupied Crimea, humanitarian policy, the current state of the Crimean Tatar people, freedom of speech and communication strategies.
Oksana Dovgopolova is a co-founder of the Past / Future / Art memory culture platform where she curates public history projects with a focus on artistic practices. She is also a professor of the Master’s program “Pubic History and Memory Work” at the Kyiv School of Economics. The main areas of her research interests are development of the new Ukrainian language of commemoration in the context of Russia-Ukraine war and the image of Odesa in the “memory entrepreneurship”. She was a co-organizer of the artistic research laboratory on war experiences “Land to Return, Land to Care” (2022) and the Memorialization Practices Laboratory in Ukraine (2024). In 2024, she also co-curated the Ukraine’s National Pavilion “From South to North” at the inaugural Malta Biennale of Contemporary Art.
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, Forum on European Culture 2025 (June 25 – June 29) brings together international artists, writers, and thinkers to celebrate the subversive power of art and literature.
Speakers
Rory FinninProfessor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge
Oksana DovgopolovaArt Curator
Alim AlievJournalist
Mirthe FreseModerator
Defence of Sevastopol, part 4, 1991–1992 Oleksandr Hnylytskyi and Oleg Holosiy Courtesy of Lesia Zajats and Ksenia Hnylytska
Forum on European Culture: Art Against the Tyrants
Five days, 30+ programs, 40+ international artists, writers & thinkers, art installations, film screenings, talks and more
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, De Balie brings together over 40 international artists, writers, and thinkers. During Forum on European Culture, we celebrate the subversive power of art and literature. It is no
Andrey Kurkov is considered to be one of the greatest contemporary Ukrainian writers. His work, including novels like Death and the Penguin and Grey Bees, is dark, humorous and satirical. As a keen observer of post-Soviet society, Kurkov proved to have prophetic qualities. What role does literature have in times of war?
With the global rise of the far-right, women’s rights are increasingly under threat. French author Lauren Bastide remains hopeful: feminism can save the world, but only as a revolutionary project that seeks to improve society at all levels, for everyone.
Together with migrants and people from the LGBTQ+-community, women are among the first to suffer when a society takes an autocratic turn. Abortion rights in the United States are being undermined; in Hungary, women are encouraged through tax incentives to have more children – policy measures expressing the autocratic conviction that a woman’s primary roles are those of mother and wife.
How can feminism oppose these tendencies? And what should feminism look like? French author and journalist Lauren Bastide argues that feminism should not be about corporate slogans and individual success stories, but rather be grounded in global solidarity. In this programme, we’ll explore how feminist values can build new alliances across borders. What solutions does feminism rooted in solidarity and intersectionality provide?
Your ticket is valid for the entire day, so you’re warmly welcome to attend other programs as well. You can check the full timetable here. Please note: visitors with a ticket for a specific program will be given priority. Once a venue reaches full capacity, we unfortunately won’t be able to admit additional visitors.
About Forum on European Culture
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, Forum on European Culture 2025 (June 25 – June 29) brings together international artists, writers, and thinkers to celebrate the subversive power of art and literature.
About the speakers
Lauren Bastide (1980) is a journalist with a degree in political science and gender studies. In January 2024, she launched Folie Douce, a series of conversations about mental health with artists, activists, authors, and personalities of all kinds. Together, they take the time for the first time to discuss their mental health journeys at length and in depth. In 2016, she created the podcast La Poudre, featuring long interviews with female artists, activists, and politicians. Over the course of its 200 episodes, La Poudre has echoed the #Metoo generation, making its creator a key figure on gender and social issues in France.
Margriet van Heesch, PhD, is a cultural scholar at the deparment of sociology, University of Amsterdam, specializing gender theory, queer studies, and the LGBTQI movement. She wrote an engaging introduction to the influential work of Judith Butler’s groundbreaking ideas to a broader audience (De Kleine Butler, 2024, Atlas Contact). In addition, van Heesch co-translated Butler’s most recent book, Who’s Afraid of Gender (2024).
Alina Chakh works as a consultant at ABN AMRO on organizational change issues. Alina sits on the board of Ava, an organization that represents the interests of women who use contraception and abortion care, and gives them a voice towards politics, science and policy makers.
Margriet van HeeschCultural scholar at the department of sociology, University of Amsterdam
Alina ChakhHead of Strategy & Advocacy at AVA
Forum on European Culture: Art Against the Tyrants
Five days, 30+ programs, 40+ international artists, writers & thinkers, art installations, film screenings, talks and more
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, De Balie brings together over 40 international artists, writers, and thinkers. During Forum on European Culture, we celebrate the subversive power of art and literature. It is no
What is the political potential of live, embodied interactions? Celebrated artist Tino Sehgal believes they matter deeply. In our highly polarized, mediatized, and capitalized society, Sehgal has the courage to create artworks that are immaterial, leave no trace, and are not meant to be repeated.
The ‘Zeitenwende’, announced by Olaf Scholz days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, meant a profound shift in Germany’s self-image. With writer Phillip Oehmke and political analyst Caroline de Gruyter we explore the implications of this new cultural reality.
Andrey Kurkov is considered to be one of the greatest contemporary Ukrainian writers. His work, including novels like Death and the Penguin and Grey Bees, is dark, humorous and satirical. As a keen observer of post-Soviet society, Kurkov proved to have prophetic qualities. What role does literature have in times of war?Dutch writer Manon Uphoff will present a literary interlude.
Since Russia fully invaded Ukraine, Kurkov said he wasn’t able to write fiction anymore. Yet, in a time when Ukraine’s culture is under threat, Kurkov’s voice remains vital. Kurkov has become one of the most important voices documenting the war’s impact on Ukrainian culture and identity.
Putin’s calculation is simple: a Ukraine with a permanent war in its eastern region will never be fully welcomed by Europe or the rest of the world
Andrey Kurkov
Your ticket is valid for the entire day, so you’re warmly welcome to attend other programs as well. You can check the full timetable here. Please note: visitors with a ticket for a specific program will be given priority. Once a venue reaches full capacity, we unfortunately won’t be able to admit additional visitors.
About the Speaker: Andrey Kurkov (1961) is a Ukrainian writer and journalist. His novels, including Death and the Penguin, Grey Bees, and The Silver Bone, have been translated into over 40 languages. He is a keen observer of post-Soviet societies, blending satire, political commentary, and deeply human storytelling.
Manon Uphoff is a Dutch writer, screenwriter, and visual artist. Her novel Vallen is als vliegen (Falling is Like Flying) was named the best Dutch-language novel of 2019 by NRC and was shortlisted for major literary awards. The book has been translated into English, Spanish, and Hungarian, with the English edition recognized by the Times Literary Supplement as one of the best books of 2024. In 2024, Uphoff was inducted into the Akademie van Kunsten. Her latest work, Laat me binnen (2025), is a collection of three stories exploring themes of exile, trauma, and the search for connection.
Forum on European Culture Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, the Forum on European Culture brings together international artists, writers, and thinkers to celebrate the subversive power of art and literature.
Speakers
Andrey KurkovWriter
Manon Uphoff
Artikel
Andrey Kurkov: chroniqueur of a country under attack
Pulitzer prize winning author Anne Applebaum and Ukrainian philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko engage in conversation about Ukraine’s past, present and future.
Forum on European Culture: Art Against the Tyrants
Five days, 30+ programs, 40+ international artists, writers & thinkers, art installations, film screenings, talks and more
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, De Balie brings together over 40 international artists, writers, and thinkers. During Forum on European Culture, we celebrate the subversive power of art and literature. It is no
The ‘Zeitenwende’, announced by Olaf Scholz days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, meant a profound shift in Germany’s self-image. With writer Philipp Oehmke and political analyst Caroline de Gruyter we explore the implications of this new cultural reality.
After its defeat in the Second World War, Germany transformed from a militaristic regime into a soft power house. Self-conscious pacifism became a core part of the German identity. Is Germany now ready to become a military player of geopolitical significance? And how would that affect the German sense of self? We discuss this with German author Philipp Oehmke, who dissected post-war Germany in his family novel The Schönwalds, and Caroline de Gruyter, journalist and political commentator for outlets including Dutch newspaper NRC.
Your ticket is valid for the entire day, so you’re warmly welcome to attend other programs as well. You can check the full timetable here. Please note: visitors with a ticket for a specific program will be given priority. Once a venue reaches full capacity, we unfortunately won’t be able to admit additional visitors.
More about the speakers Philipp Oehmke (1974) grew up in Bonn and studied journalism at Columbia University. After four years working for the magazine of the renowned Süddeutsche Zeitung, he switched to Der Spiegel. In 2015 he moved to New York, returning to Berlin in 2020. Oehmke is widely regarded as one of the best journalists of his generation. He is currently heading the culture section of Der Spiegel. His biography of the German punk band Die Toten Hosen spent several weeks on the bestseller list, as did his debut novel Schönwald. Oehmke is currently working on a sequel to Schönwald.
Caroline de Gruyter is a journalist and political analyst. She is a European Affairs correspondent and columnist for the leading Dutch newspaper NRC and a regular contributor to Foreign Policy, EUobserver and De Standaard. She spent more than twenty years covering Europe, from different corners of the continent.
About Forum on European Culture Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and moreand more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, the Forum on European Culture 2025 (June 25 – June 29) brings together international artists, writers, and thinkers to celebrate the subversive power of art and literature.
Speakers
Philipp OehmkeWriter and journalist
Caroline de Gruyter Journalist
Forum on European Culture: Art Against the Tyrants
Five days, 30+ programs, 40+ international artists, writers & thinkers, art installations, film screenings, talks and more
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, De Balie brings together over 40 international artists, writers, and thinkers. During Forum on European Culture, we celebrate the subversive power of art and literature. It is no
Indifference is the fuel of autocracy. What role does literature have in creating a culture of care? During the European Literature Night we examine the political potential of literature.
Nino Haratischwili, renowned author of The Eighth Life (for Brilka) and director, invites you to take a seat at her supra at Forum on European Culture.
What is the political potential of live, embodied interactions? Celebrated artist Tino Sehgal believes they matter deeply. In our highly polarized, mediatized, and capitalized society, Sehgal has the courage to create artworks that are immaterial and leave no trace at all.
For over two decades, Sehgal’s work has disrupted the art world’s system—a system that values objects over labor and the individual over the collective. In the first episode of the art series In Our Time, curator Azu Nwagbogu and Tino Sehgal explore the art and politics of presence. What role can social interactions in public space play in a time when political leaders around the world are openly attacking museums and the art world?
During the conversation the audience can experience and might participate in the work of conceptual and performance artist Lisette Ros.
Your ticket is valid for the entire day, so you’re warmly welcome to attend other programs as well. You can check the full timetable here. Please note: visitors with a ticket for a specific program will be given priority. Once a venue reaches full capacity, we unfortunately won’t be able to admit additional visitors.
About the speakers Tino Sehgal (London), is an artist working and living in Berlin. Originally studying political economy and dance, he crossed over to the visual arts in 2000. He achieved international renown for his groundbreaking ‘constructed situations’: live encounters between visitors and those enacting the work. He presented his work at the Venice Biennale, Documenta in Kassel, in the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Tate Modern in London and Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Azu Nwagbogu (Nigeria) is internationally acclaimed curator. He is the founder and director of African Artists’ Foundation, and serves as Founder and Director of LagosPhoto Festival. He is the creator of Art Base Africa, a virtual space to discover and learn about contemporary African Art. In 2024 he curated the first-ever Benin Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, titled Everything Precious is Fragile.
Lisette Ros (1991), a Dutch conceptual and performance artist, who identifies as queer, woman and fluid, with roots in Indonesia, explores the interplay between society, identity, and the human experience through her work. Using her body as a medium, she challenges societal norms and exposes the consequences of socio- cultural practices. Ros’ work has been showcased globally, including performances at prestigious events like the Venice Architecture Biennale (2016) and South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin (2018). Ros completed a residency with Marina Abramović in 2021 and has received grants for her ongoing ‘My Self’ series researching the self and the identification process.
About Forum on European Culture
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, the Forum on European Culture brings together international artists, writers, and thinkers to celebrate the subversive power of art and literature.
About In Our Time
Contemporary art faces significant challenges. Just as in our highly polarized and digitalized society, cultural institutions struggle to leave room for doubt, nuance and are often forced to choose a side. The praxis of decolonization within museums, while well-intended, has often fallen short of achieving change. Museums struggle to adapt to new society demands, will clinging to outdated structures.The need for open dialogue in contemporary art discourse is more pressing than ever. In Our Time, a series of talks and debates hosted at De Balie in Amsterdam, seeks to revitalize the spirit of dialectical discourse in art. Drawing inspiration from Melvyn Bragg’s BBC Radio 4 program and the logic of the Dig Where You Stand movement of the seventies, this initiative aims to create a platform for engaging open discussions on social, contemporary, political, artistic, historical, philosophical, and scientific topics. This series is hosted by curator Azu Nwagbogu and Yoeri Albrecht, director of De Balie, Amsterdam.
Speakers
Azu NwagboguCurator | Photo: Ana Flores x Vogue Italia
Tino SehgalArtist | Photo: Baptiste Beranger
Lisette RosConceptual and performance artist
Artikel
‘Contemporary art has, in many ways, built echo chambers. We speak in silos‘
Azu Nwagbogu hosts the first edition of ‘In Our Time’
Forum on European Culture: Art Against the Tyrants
Five days, 30+ programs, 40+ international artists, writers & thinkers, art installations, film screenings, talks and more
Who’s afraid of art? Now that tyrants are on the roll and more and more people in the West seem to be falling for the autocratic alternative, De Balie brings together over 40 international artists, writers, and thinkers. During Forum on European Culture, we celebrate the subversive power of art and literature. It is no
Indifference is the fuel of autocracy. What role does literature have in creating a culture of care? During the European Literature Night we examine the political potential of literature.
Wat is vrijheid voor jou, wat betekent dit voor de vrijheid van anderen, en hoe draag jij bij aan vrijheid?
Dick Schoof (demissionair minister-president) gaat met studenten uit Assen in gesprek over de betekenis van vrijheid, democratie en actief burgerschap.
Vrijheid is van levensbelang. Hoe vrij zijn we in een land dat te maken heeft met een toeslagenschandaal, een woningcrisis en een oorlog op Europees grondgebied? Vrijheden beschermen vereist gedeelde waarden en gezamenlijk vertrouwen in de democratie. Tegelijkertijd gedijt vrijheid ook bij meningsverschillen, bij frictie tussen de ideeën van de één en de ander. En dus bij het voeren van goede gesprekken.
