Campis - Assen

In CAMPIS, Noorderlicht shows artists exploring alternative ways of dealing with agricultural life. How do we as humans relate to nature and in what way can we work together to improve our own well-being and that of the planet?

With REGENERATE as its theme, Noorderlicht International Photo Festival here refers to the desire for a healthy relationship with nature and an active attitude that contributes to strengthening the health and resilience of nature. This can be done in various ways. Sometimes by actively intervening, sometimes by taking a step back and trusting the restorative power of nature itself. The ultimate goal is to keep our world livable.

Our instinctive relationship with nature encourages us to do so. People still feel a deep emotional connection with nature, of which we are a part like all other living beings on this earth. It is invaluable that we realise this. Especially in the Western world, where everything has to be more and more individualistic, material, faster and more efficient, we sometimes forget this. In the global ecosystem, all life is interconnected. With this idea in mind, the festival wants to use the exhibited works to ask questions about where we want to go and in what way, about the time we live in and the time yet to come.

Noorderlicht International Photo Festival 2023 started in Friesland and is now moving across Groningen and Drenthe. The festival has been a biennial for two years and offers exhibitions throughout the northern Netherlands, on various dates from now until early December.

The festival theme REGENERATE is motivated by the widely shared feeling that a new, fresh start is needed in our dealings with nature and society. It is about our relationship with our immediate environment, ourselves and the world we live in. We therefore look at the festival from three perspectives: REGENERATE LIFE, REGENERATE OURSELVES and REGENERATE SOCIETY. The works shown in CAMPIS focus on the first part: REGENERATE LIFE. The festival also includes a side programme of projects complementing the festival theme, created from various collaborations.

REGENERATE is curated by guest curator Eefje Ludwig and Noorderlicht curator Wim Melis.