The Beeldbrekers (ReFramers) are a group of young adult students and (young) professionals who dedicate their expertise to helping the Van Gogh Museum become more inclusive. What do they do in everyday life, and what motivates them to help the museum?
Meet the Beeldbrekers
Kels Xuan
From an early age I’ve had a great interest in art, culture, and society. I have a great admiration for the way they are intertwined, like roots. Yet I quickly noticed that the art world is rarely a reflection of actual society and all its unique diversity. This has fuelled my sense of representation and social justice, which has caused a strong focus on the feeling of home since the start of my career, what a home means for people and what is needed to create one.
With my multidisciplinary knowledge and skills, I want to contribute to a society in which being different doesn’t equal being inferior. As a Beeldbreker, I hope to have the opportunity to think about the role museums play in this. Together with the other Beeldbrekers I want to take a critical look at it and make the current art world more equal.
Habon Ismaïl
Visiting museums has always played a major role in my personal development. They are places that have always invited me to think about my past, my own future, and everything in between. They fuelled my inspiration or they helped me escape.
In my opinion, experiencing art and culture is a right. A right that unfortunately is not available to everyone. In my work within the art and culture sector, I see every day how important it is to promote the interests of art and culture. Together with the other Beeldbrekers, I hope that we really get the opportunity to look critically at the museum culture, to question it, and to make it more accessible to young adults so that they no longer have to cross such barriers to be able to participate.
Chaeli Braaf
Because of my passion for art, my focus during my Cultural and Social Education studies was mainly on the art and culture sector. I came to realise how important it is that different perspectives and stories are allowed to thrive in this sector. With the various backgrounds and interests of the Beeldbrekers, we’ll be able to take an authentic approach to giving these perspectives and stories the space they deserve.
Together with the Beeldbrekers, I want to work on removing the barriers that prevent people from visiting a museum. I hope we will find various ways of ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to discover and experience the value of art and creativity.
Ayoub Kharkhach
My name is Ayoub, I am 25 years old, and I live in Den Bosch. During my studies I learn about making chains in the agricultural sector more sustainable. In my spare time I sing in a gospel pop choir, I care for dogs at an animal shelter, and I am working on the release of my second music album. I really enjoy birdwatching, my favourite bird is the White Wagtail.
I think art is really cool because it is the self-expression of others and other people fascinate me endlessly. With my own music I try to convey a feeling, and for this it is often necessary to find out what kind of feeling you’re experiencing before you can make music about it. Through art, I was able to get to know myself better.
I didn’t grow up with museums, but now that I know better what self-expression means, I value it much more. People can’t live without stories, and making art is telling stories. Being able to experience that up close is something I wish other people can do too.
My daily life is focused on things outside of the arts and culture sector, and I move between many different groups of people. This allows me to approach the museum with a fresh perspective.
Andrew Kambel
I am a photographer myself and currently I am studying at the Photo Academy. The concept of an ‘image’ is therefore very familiar to me. But how do you ‘break’, or reframe an image? For me, being a Beeldbreker doesn’t always mean breaking, but fragmenting. Showing that there is never just one story or perspective in art. That everyone experiences a museum in their own way. That you may also find a painting funny, boring or ugly.
I believe that the truth is often hidden in plain sight, and all we have to do is open our senses to uncover it. A museum is a magical space that challenges you to do this. But not everyone feels welcome here, and that’s a shame. I hope that as a Beeldbreker, I can make this magic accessible to everyone, and that the Van Gogh Museum will become a place where the dialogue starts.
Sara Halilovic
As a Beeldbreker at the Van Gogh Museum, I am a young bicultural art and culture lover, determined to bridge the gap in representation within the art sector. With a background in Cultural Heritage and a long-term involvement in social work, focused on diversity and inclusivity, I strive to make a connection between artists, museums, and the public.
I believe that art is primarily for the viewer, not for the institution, and I hope to contribute to creating an inclusive cultural space where everyone feels represented.
Museums have always functioned as places where knowledge, ideas, and creativity are shared, but previously this was only reserved for a small group in society. My vision on the future of museums is in line with this: I believe that a museum should be an accessible institution for everyone.
The museum must actively enter into dialogue and explore new creative paths together with the public, so that art and culture actually become accessible to all levels of society. As a Beeldbreker, I see our role as one of the first steps on this fascinating path.
Eden Kösters
Art has always been a big part of my life. As a young child, I often thought that museums were boring, but I have always been creative. And that thankfully didn’t come to an end in my teens: I’m involved with all sorts of art forms, such as music, photography, multimedia and drawing, but my main focus is clothing.
Alongside making clothes, I launched a styling company called ‘Een Tweedehands Leven’ (A Second-hand Life) when I was 15. I sell personalised second-hand style collections, and mystery collections. Sustainability and the climate are very important to me, which is why I decided to do everything second-hand. I am also a member of Youth For Climate.
I’m the youngest ReFramer – I’m now 18 – and I am proud to be part of this group. In the year ahead, I am looking forward to working with the other ReFramers to offer a fresh perspective on projects, to asking critical questions and to helping make the Van Gogh Museum a more inclusive and more accessible place for young adults.
Naveen Gayadien
In the past five years I have visited many museums in the country and viewed many works of art. Art has been an important part of my development; it taught me to approach things in a more holistic way, allowing me to be less biased. Everyone who looks at a work of art sees something different. One pays attention to the story being told, and the other pays attention to its style. This symbolises the difference between us as people.
In my role as Beeldbreker, I will work to make the museum and its art more accessible and understandable to young people. I notice that many people in my environment have a high threshold for visiting museums. That is why I want to lower this threshold, because a museum visit can help to inspire people and make them think. The Van Gogh Museum is a place for everyone, and this is the message I want to spread.
Emin Batman
I am a multidisciplinary artist, aspiring architect and content creator from Amsterdam. I am involved in photography, calligraphy, film and architecture. I get my inspiration from themes such as spirituality, migration, architecture and interculturality. My passion lies in connecting and celebrating different cultures. This is reflected, among other things, in my project ‘Tussen Tompouce en Baklava’ (Between Tompouce and Baklava), in which I collect stories of the first generation of Turkish migrants throughout Europe.
I am currently working on ‘Kervan’, a collective on wheels that uses art as a medium to heal trauma in the earthquake disaster area in Turkey. I want to use my role as Beeldbreker and speak up when it comes to programming for young adults; ‘nothing about us, without us’. I like to use my strengths for new media and the arts to create a more accessible museum for all young adults!
Michelle van den Berg
As the daughter of a Chilean mother and a Dutch father, I grew up in a mix of two rich and diverse cultures. This has taught be to view and understand issues and situations from different perspectives, which explains my passion for modern art. Modern art offers the opportunity to approach works of art from various angles, which often results in fascinating conversations.
Art has the power to make things open for discussion, even if they are difficult or uncomfortable. Think of Vincent van Gogh, who incorporated his mental health into his art, making him a source of recognition and support for young adults with similar problems.
As a Beeldbreker and future curator, I strive to share the stories of people who still receive too little attention, such as female artists from South America and the stories that are rarely discussed, but are crucial. In this way I want to contribute to more inclusivity and awareness in the art world.
Maria Ararat Cortès
When I visit a museum, a bunch of different questions often come to mind: ‘Should art always be nice to look at? Is art a fact, or an opinion? What makes art, art? And what gives value to an artwork?’. I now know that the story behind an artwork is what truly makes it interesting and valuable.
Van Gogh’s story is more than a century old, but still every bit as relevant today. People identify with his vulnerability and his desire to make art that would touch people. I also identify with this, and can’t wait to share Vincent’s art with other young adults, and to involve them with his story.