These tornadoes are for you

when: June 1, 2024 - June 30, 2024
where: EXboot

“My starting point is the visual translation of my perspective on my own identity and sexuality. My personal experience with mental illness has made me very analytical of my perception of self. The
seemingly impossible motion of closing the gap between who I am and who I think I am, is what my work has come to be about. In its essence, my work is me mapping out my thoughts and patterns, trying to comprehend what it means to be me in the most authentic way. Showing the distorted self-portraits as well as the vulnerable parts side by side, creates a back and forth movement between the cause and effect of my mental health struggles. This body of work is another step closer to home than I’ve ever gone, symbolizing the healing and reflecting that it has taken me to get to where I am.”

about Chelsea van der Bend

to Chelsea van der Bend

Plan a visit

Current exhibition

This exhibition is closed. This is showing at EXboot now:

Mirrored English and Chinese text printed on a vertically folded, textured gray surface, fading to black on the right.

Oct 1

Nov 1

My body is warming up, please wait for a while

Yingtong Zhou

This project originated from my experiences using dating apps over the past year, initially serving as a documentation of my inner struggles as the “other” in romantic encounters: being romanticized, alienated, objectified, and subjected to the gaze. At the same time, these encounters became a space for reciprocal investigation and self-examination, raising questions around reflexivity, desire, and the ways in which we perceive and construct one another. The work first took the form of fragmented, private writing, unbound by genre and moving between essay, poetry, and prose. Writing has become a scale and vessel for emotion, carrying experiences that are fragmented, intimate, and difficult to contain within a fixed narrative.

where

Nijverheidskade 15
3534AZ Utrecht

Due to the unique and limited size of the cultural-historical site, EXboot is only accessible on foot and is not wheelchair accessible. There are no facilities for the hearing impaired (yet).

Een groep jonge mannen kijkt door het raam van de EXboot naar binnen

Always at EXboot

The sand path museum

I cherish both my present and my past. Besides a space for high-profile art, one of my rooms also houses the Zandpad Museum. Here, I'll tell you about my illustrious past and introduce you to people who know me well—inside or out. Sit on my stool, gaze out the window, and listen to the many stories surrounding my life.

Short documentary 'The Sand Path'

The Zandpad Museum is screening a short documentary about the history of the Zandpad. You'll also find numerous audio clips of conversations with various people involved, including a former sex worker and former mayor Aleid Wolfsen.

This Zandpad documentary was made by Sylvie Kamphuis & Jaap Pronk (director), Bram Engelaar (camera), Doenja Abel (production), Twan Bracco Gartner (music), and Bald Beeld (editing). Thanks to the interviewees: Aleid Wolfsen (former mayor of the Municipality of Utrecht), Brenda Oude Breuil (criminologist at Utrecht University), Jannie Teunissen (De Tussenvoorziening), the former sex worker, and the former client of Zandpad. The documentary was made possible in part by the Municipality of Utrecht, KF Heinfonds, Mondriaanfonds, and RTV Utrecht.

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