What Knots Knot Knots

What Knots Knot Knots is an initiative of Noorderlicht and was developed in collaboration with archive and cultural institutions in the North of the Netherlands. What Knots Knot Knots is on view from 26 June 2026 at VHDG in Leeuwarden, Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork and DIEP in Drenthe, Groninger Museum (location Wall House#2) and Noorderlicht in Groningen. 

North-Netherlands has its own colonial past, but little is said about it. Yet there are many stories from Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe that are connected to one another. In the seventeenth century, Frisian universities and mapmakers worked for the VOC and the WIC. Ships from Groningen sailed to Ghana to trade enslaved people. In the eighteenth century, Jan Albert Sichterman, VOC director in Bengal, lived in Groningen. He made a great deal of money and used it to build a large house on the Ossenmarkt. He also collected many objects. Part of his collection can still be seen today in the Groninger Museum. In the twentieth century, Moluccan KNIL soldiers and their families came to the former camp Westerbork. Labour migrants also came to Friesland to work in agriculture and industry.

Archives do not preserve everything. Some stories disappear or remain unknown. Artists approach archives differently from historians. They ask questions about what is and is not preserved, and connect stories in new ways. The eight artists conducted research in local archives and spoke with people from the surrounding communities. For the project they made photography, videos, installations, and a large mural. Each artwork is connected to a specific place and community. The works make difficult and often hidden stories visible and open to discussion.

The title What Knots Knot Knots comes from a phrase by Donna Haraway: "it matters what knots knot knots." ¹ By this she means that the way you connect things to one another determines which story you are able to tell. The project therefore does not tell one single grand narrative about the colonial past. Instead, it places different local stories from multiple centuries side by side. In this way, it becomes clear how these histories are interconnected.

Noorderlicht developed this project because it is important to give attention to this history in Noord-Netherlands as well. The project is also the beginning of a longer collaboration between organisations in Groningen, Drenthe, and Friesland to further research and bring visibility to this past.

¹ Donna J. Haraway, Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene (Durham: Duke University Press, 2016), 12: "It matters what matters we use to think other matters with; it matters what stories we tell to tell other stories with; it matters what knots knot knots, what thoughts think thoughts, what descriptions describe descriptions, what ties tie ties."

Koos Breukel, Cihad Caner, Ofri Cnaani, Jori(k) Amit Galama, Ana Guedes, Faisel Saro, Thato Toeba, Yeb Wiersma

Opening Saturday 4 July 2026 10:30-13:00
Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork
Oosthalen 8, Hooghalen

Artists: Koos Breukel

In Drenthe, Koos Breukel and Ana Guedes present work that moves around memory and family history. From personal and historical perspectives, they explore how colonial structures and migration stories continue to resonate in the present.

Ana Guedes presents her work at DIEP Emmen.

Opening Saturday 4 July 2026 16:00-19:00
VHDG
Naauw 6-8, Leeuwarden

Artists: Cihad Caner, Jori(k) Galama & Thato Toeba 

In Leeuwarden, Cihad Caner, Thato Toeba, and Jori(k) A. Galama present new work focused on representation, identity, and the workings of archives. Working across a range of media, they explore how images, stories, and histories are shaped, and who remains visible within them, or hidden from view.

Opening Sunday 5 July 2026 17:00-20:00
Groninger Museum, location Wall House #2
A.J.Lutulistraat 17, Groningen

Artists: Ofri Cnaani and Yeb Wiersma

In Groningen, Ofri Cnaani and Yeb Wiersma present work that examines the relationship between institutions, bodies, and ecology. Their practices question how knowledge is produced and how human and non-human worlds are interconnected. 

Noorderlicht junior director Ino and his mom Marlot made a minidocumentary about the colonial past of the North of the Netherlands, which will also be on show at the Wall House #2.   

After the opening, the exhibition can be visited by appointment at Noorderlicht from 6 July onwards.

Finissage: 30 August 2026, Noorderlicht 14:00-17:00

The publication What Knots Knot Knots will be presented during a festive finissage weekend at Noorderlicht, Akerkhof 12 in Groningen. Groningen-based artist Faisel Saro will create a mural especially for this occasion at Noorderlicht, bringing all the stories together. The publication, like the campaign, is designed by Bart de Baets.

CAMPIS, Diep Emmen, Fries Museum, Groninger Archieven, Groninger Museum, Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork, Noorderlicht, Universiteitsmuseum Groningen, VHDG.

Noorderlicht is made possible by the Gemeente Groningen, Provincie Groningen, and Provincie Friesland.

What Knots Knot Knots was co-realized with the support of the Gemeente Leeuwarden, the Mondrian Foundation, and Drenthe Province.

Musoke Nalwoga & Roosje Klap, in collaboration with Koen Bartijn