MVRDV has unveiled visuals for the upcoming Van Gogh Homeland Biennale in the Netherlands. The event is named after Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and aims to bring attention to the environmental pressures and flood risks currently faced by North Brabant’s landscapes.
That plan is divided into three parts: Van Gogh Homeland Experience, an attraction that is being designed in collaboration with Efteling, the biennale, and the Van Gogh Homeland Atelier, a hub for knowledge transfer from which the attraction and the biennale will be developed. The biennale will come first, planned for 2025.
“If you think about the climate challenge, you have to dare to think big,” says Winy Maas. “Exploring so many possibilities can get the ball rolling. Our outdoor exhibition will soon consist of numerous pavilions that will be placed in the landscape, like a string of beads. We do not give visitors a moralistic message, but let them feel climate change – the dryness, the wetness. We also show possible solutions such as a garden tower or a super dune. In my opinion, the task for the coming period lies in interweaving of the city with nature, and nature with the city. We must be open to a critical approach to each other’s ideals.”
The Biennale will include exhibits featuring architecture, landscape design, and sustainability themes. It is hoped that the event will reignite people’s enthusiasm for the Brabant landscape, which was a great inspiration for van Gogh’s paintings. The initiative is a collaboration between Midpoint Brabant, MVRDV, and the Van Gogh Homeland Foundation, and will be curated by co-founder Winy Maas. The event is divided into three parts: the Biennale, the Van Gogh Homeland Experience, and the Van Gogh Homeland Atelier.
Director of the Van Gogh Homeland Foundation, and program maker Lian Duif, “Van Gogh Homeland as a whole will further strengthen Brabant’s identity. It is precise because of its accessible nature that a visit is attractive to various audiences. The expectation is that thanks to the way the biennale presents information, young people will also feel more involved in the major transition challenges, as well as the landscape that surrounds them – which of course they will manage in the future.”
