Nieuw New Babylon NDSM Expo XV in NDSM Fuse

New myths

Amid the global conflicts with associated refugee flows and the climate crisis hitting faster and more devastatingly than predicted, there are also bright spots that give hope and confidence in a better future. Young people are actively working to expose abuses, even taking legal action against big companies and countries. And worldwide, there are initiatives to combat further global warming.

We increasingly realize that we are just a small part of a large and complex system. The idea that we are the 'crown of creation' is proving outdated. We are simply being swept along by forces over which we have little control.
Humans are adept at creating and believing stories. However, the old myths of heroes and gods no longer fit today's reality; they are outdated and simplistic. We need new myths that reflect our changed needs, with new characters to help us cope with the rapidly changing world.

In NIEUW NEW BABYLON, artists display these new myths, as Constant Nieuwenhuis once described New Babylon as a dream: an illustration of a way of life in a supposed society. These are dystopian stories that confront, but also optimistic ones the viewer can identify with. For instance, there is a larger-than-life ferryman from Greek mythology who transports souls to the underworld in a boat that, although not seaworthy, has a cat, the sacred animal of ancient Egyptian civilisation, on the forecastle, representing hope. A natural area on a balcony shows a hopeful future in densely populated cities. And the large photographic work of a floating object above a silent landscape evokes a strong association with Stanley Kubrick's 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey, as a reference to humanity's new start in the universe.

Curator Ellen Klijzing    Artists Lies Aris, Wim Bakker, Allard Boterenbrood, Vincent Boschma, Madelon ter Borg, Ike van Cleeff, Gertjan Evenhuis, Ester Eva Damen, Jim Du Pan, Neil Fortune, Catarina Garcia, Marian Genet, Kris Gonzalez, Fabien Gruau, Frank Hietbrink, Caroline Kampfraath, Ossa Kierkegaard, Esther Kin, Nanny Kok, Bas Kosters, Rucha Kulkarni, Igor Kusmirak, Neyde Lantyer, GH Mack, Helena Kaori Maeda, Femke Moedt, Maud Oonk, Paul Rinzo, Eduardo Rojo, Carla Rump, Henk Schut, Helga van Stralen, Mieke de Waal, Marius van Zandwijk