Ken Stoové | Artists at EXUtrecht

In his work, Ken Stoové explores the personal and collective significance of migration, family heritage, and culture. His immediate family often serves as both the starting point and field of inquiry: an environment in which he feels at home and which functions as his primary source of stories and knowledge about his background.

At the same time, this context provides space for critical, emotional, and in-depth research, through which Ken examines the origins, impact, and transmission of these narratives.

As he has conducted more research into family members beyond his immediate circle, his desire to visit the place of origin has grown. On behalf of the third generation of Javanese-Surinamese in the Netherlands, Ken Stoové feels a pressing need to gain a deeper understanding of this cultural history, a history that receives little attention within the Dutch educational system.

His goal, and at the same time his hope, is to provide his generation and those that follow with something tangible: stories, images, faces, and knowledge with which they can connect and be inspired. Ken Stoové sees his work as part of a larger cultural archive: a living memory and an invitation to reflection and dialogue.

exhibitions by Ken Stoové

A bald man with glasses and tattoos gestures from a stool, barefoot, to a woman behind the counter in a busy room.

Mar 5

Mar 28

Ik probeer je te heugen

Ken Stoové

This research portrays the inner quest of Ken Stoové, who feels a deep longing to travel to Suriname, the country where his grandfather and father took their first breaths. Although he has never been there himself, Suriname lives vividly in his imagination, shaped by stories, written accounts, and dreams. For Ken, the country symbolizes ancestry, identity, and a possible homecoming, but also uncertainty. He wonders whether he will find warmth and belonging there, or whether he will instead feel like an outsider, standing at the edge of his own origins.

Aug 22, 25

Sep 28

EXcontainer

Noud Boogaard & Hazel van Berkel & Glenelys Josefina & Soete Boon & Roos Gerritsen & Ken Stoové & Marco Sleumer & rayn & Miro Nuaki

EXtern is EXutrecht's latest programme. No art within the walls of a museum or gallery, but in the midst of everyday life: in unexpected, public places in the city. EXtern gives Utrecht artists the opportunity to venture off the beaten track. We help them find a special location and guide them through the entire process: from idea to execution. For this first edition, nine shipping containers have been placed on the grounds of the Nijverheid. They contain work by recent HKU graduates: Roos Gerritsen, Marco Sleumer, Ken Stoové, Miro Nuaki, Soete Boon, Hazel van Berkel, Glenelys Josefina, Noud van den Boogaard & rayn.