The Groninger Gallery - Portraits from the earthquake area
On 4 February, The Groninger Gallery - Portraits from the earthquake area opens at Museum aan de A in Groningen. The exhibition tells personal stories of residents from the earthquake area in words and images. The portraits and residents' stories give a unique picture of the area and show a cautious faith in the future. The exhibition was created from a collaboration with BPD Culture Fund, Museum aan de A and Magazine Noorderbreedte.
Groningen deserves our full attention. Noorderlicht and BPD Cultuurfonds are making a cultural connection to the consequences of natural gas extraction and the future of Groningen with an extensive programme: Renewed Energy. This year, the programme begins with The Groninger Gallery – Portraits from the earthquake area.
The Groninger Gallery – Portraits from the earthquake area
Magazine Noorderbreedte interviewed Groningers who are affected by the quakes in various ways. They talk about their future, or, conversely, their inability to formulate it. The interviews show that any substantial future story for Groningen has to start with the painful past, but that it is possible to tell stories that allow us to move forward. Photographer and visual artist Alice Wielinga created staged portraits of the Groningers for the exhibition. The result is a special portrait series that will be on display at Museum aan de A until 11 June.
Museum aan de A, historical museum for the city and province of Groningen, complements this exhibition with information on the history of gas extraction and on the earthquake problems in Groningen. Moreover, at the reading table, visitors can read books, listen to podcasts and share their own ideas about the future of Groningen.
Groningen visible in The Hague
From 24 February, the multimedia exhibition Vergezicht Groningen, panorama op de toekomst can be seen at museum Beeld & Geluid in The Hague. For this exhibition, documentary photographer Dirk-Jan Visser respectfully made video portraits of six Groningers from the earthquake area who share their perspectives on the future. Groningen is more than just earthquakes, Groningen is home to people who are working on interesting, inspiring and innovative initiatives that will make the community and the landscape future-proof.
Report of parliamentary committee of inquiry
The Groninger Gallery – Portraits from the earthquake area and Vergezicht Groningen, panorama op de toekomst will both open in February, the month in which the parliamentary committee of inquiry into natural gas extraction Groningen is expected to present its final report to the House of Representatives, thirty years after the moment when the relationship between gas extraction and the earthquakes was established.
Renewed Energy
Exhibitions The Groninger Gallery – Portraits from the earthquake area and Vergezicht Groningen, panorama op de toekomst are part of Hernieuwde Energie, a multi-year cooperation between BPD Cultuurfonds and Noorderlicht (2021 – 2024). The full programme of Hernieuwde Energie for 2023 will be announced in February.
It will include a publication by writer and journalist Auke Hulst, known for the book Kinderen van het ruige land, on the alternative history of the area around Slochteren. There will also be activities at Noorderlicht Photo Festival, which this year has the theme REGENERATE and addresses the increasing pressure of huge global challenges in their impact on our coexistence.
“The board of BPD Cultuurfonds hopes in this way, in consultation with Groningen and the Groningers, to make a positive contribution and inspire other parties to invest in this part of the Netherlands. The uniqueness of this area deserves our continued appreciation and attention,” says Mirjam van ’t Veld, chairman of the board BPD Cultuurfonds.