Young talent in the convent walls: an Verheven experience
At the beginning of August, het Moederhuis of the Zusters van Liefde on the Oude Dijk will open its doors for an extraordinary experience: in collaboration with platform T*Agency, art collective Verheven is curating an exhibition of thirteen young artists in various rooms of the Convent.
On August 5, 6, and 7, youth platform T*Agency will join forces with Tilburg art collective Verheven to pay tribute to a history that dates back almost two hundred years. Thirteen young artists will take you on a unique journey within the monastery walls of the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity in Tilburg, in the form of a joint exhibition about religion, femininity, and words. We spoke with Kim Rekkers (Verheven), Hetty Remmers (Sisters of Charity), Sam Dictus, and Gijs van Wijk (T*Agency) about this special collaboration.
Movement en development
“Zusters van Liefde is a congregation founded in Tilburg by Bishop Zwijssen,” explains Hetty. “At its peak, there were more than 4.500 sisters in this organization worldwide, and it is still the largest female monastic congregation in the Netherlands.” That congregation has never confined itself to the walls of the convent. “The Zusters van Liefde has always been a very active order. The sisters have all been active in healthcare or education. They have traveled all over the world to do their work.” Today, 67 sisters still live in the Moederhuis on Oude Dijk. A place that most Tilburg residents have never seen from the inside.
This exhibition will soon change that. Sam: “As T*Agency, we always want to facilitate development, and we like to seek connections with young creators in the city. That's how we came into contact with the Verheven collective, and it turned out to be a good match to do something in the Sisters' convent.” Gijs adds: “We want to give creators something to take with them, to give them something. And at the same time, we also want to develop ourselves as a platform; with this project, we are stepping outside the walls of the Schouwburg for the first time.”
A good match
Kim Rekkers, together with Marie van Rijswijk and Merijn Elderling, forms the Verheven collective, an art collective that aims to offer art as an interdisciplinary experience. Kim: "When T*Agency approached us with the plan to exhibit in the convent, we immediately jumped at the opportunity. Religion is a theme we often work with as a collective. The aesthetics and iconography of religion are a shared factor from which we draw a lot of inspiration for our work. Then we got to know the sisters and immediately clicked with them. The sisters who live in the convent have so many beautiful and special stories about the places where they have worked and what they have experienced. That is really special."
The sisters living in the convent have so many beautiful and special stories about the places where they have worked and what they have experienced. That is really special.
Fortunately, the interest was mutual. Hetty: "The sisters were very taken with the name ‘Verheven’ (Exalted). When we heard that, we thought: yes, this has to work! And it did. In addition, it is also nice for the sisters to be seen, especially by a new generation. The average age of the sisters in the convent is 91. They really enjoy the buzz in the house and the interest in their lifestyle. But they are also very excited about what will be on display soon." Can Kim tell us a little bit about that? “There will be thirteen different artists on display, spread throughout the convent, representing various disciplines. Textiles, painting, but also performance art, sculpture, and illustration. We drew a lot of inspiration from our conversations with the sisters and from the spaces that will be available to us. For example, there is a room in the building where the sisters used to go for recreation, where they could do handicrafts, for example. We would like to station artists there who will create live works during the exhibition. In that way, it will also be a tribute to that place."
The exhibition “Love is an Eternal Vow” will be on display on August 5, 6, and 7 at the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity. Visits are possible via a time slot! Check https://www.schouwburgconcertzaaltilburg.nl/agenda/liefde-is-een-eeuwige-gelofte-verheven-x-ta-x-zusters-van-liefde for availability!
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