What is normal and who decides? And if you aren’t normal according to the definition, does that mean that you’re excluded? It sometimes seems that way. This month, three events that challenge this system. This month, the Centraal Museum opens an exhibition entitled Ik ben gewoon hier (I’m right here), which explores disability in all its guises: from prevailing stereotype ideas and stigmas, to disability as artistic expression and identity. It’s an initiative of the Kreukelcollectief, a group of disability activists, historians, scientists and artists, whose aim is to secure the legacy of the disability emancipation movement. No-one else seems to be doing this, says Liorah Hoek. ‘In the Netherlands, there are no accurate records of the history of disabled people, and when it comes to inclusion, this group is often overlooked.’ She thinks that this is because a disability is largely seen as an individual problem. ‘But it’s part of human diversity, not a separate facet. Anyone could become disabled from one day to the next. In social terms, it only becomes a disability in contact with society. If everywhere had wheelchair access, you’d never be excluded as a wheelchair user.’ (Bruin, Self portrait 5 / Self portrait 6) Underwater wheelchair The Centraal Museum originally assumed that their collection didn’t have anything suitable for the exhibition. Liorah: ‘They did, but it hadn’t been seen or acknowledged. And we look at these things differently. A painting by Marlene Dumas depicting a person with three legs may not necessarily be about disability, but what do we see when we look at it? Someone who doesn’t comply with the norm.’ Ik ben gewoon hier is an exhibition of art and historical material. From clinics where people used to be hidden away, to carrier status tests to determine whether a child can be carried to term. Liorah: ‘Three people from our collective wouldn’t be here… The million-dollar question is: who decides what’s good and what’s normal? It’s not that we’re saying: a disability is great, let’s all get one! But we want it to be as a fact of life. Nobody’s perfect, everyone’s okay.’ The exhibition features art by Old Masters as well as new work, like the video by Sue Austen, which shows her floating alongside a coral reef in a wheelchair. Gon Buurman and Menko Dijksterhuis make work alluding to eroticism, sometimes using medical objects, and Mette Sterre has contributed a series of 3D-printed bodies. One whole room is dedicated to sensuality, with sculptures by Donkersloot and Karin Arink that visitors are invited to touch. Sound and smell also play a role. Finnigan Shannon is displaying seating objects and cushions as a response to the fact that museums have so few places for people to sit. Breaking down boundaries The artist Jan Hoek has been breaking down boundaries in the art world for a very long time. He often works with outsiders and founded the inclusive art space No Limits! Art Castle, which will be in the garden of the Centraal Museum as from this month. ‘People with a disability are often ushered onto a separate circuit and rarely visit regular museums,’ he explains. ‘We try to bring together special people with special talents.’ All the work in the exhibition The Castle of Many Bodies is about the body, and everything is ceramic. Jan: ‘One of the facets of the artists is that have bodies that work differently from standard bodies. So the logical question is: ‘‘What’s a standard body?’’ And this is precisely the type of question we want people to think about.’ Jan started the initiative after spending time working closely with Bruin Parry , who he’s known since childhood. He used to be Bruin’s childminder and they spent a lot of time making things, even then. When Jan became an artist, Bruin wanted to follow suit but didn’t feel at home in the specially adapted studios. Bruin now works in Jan’s studio four days a week. ‘I enjoyed the way we worked together so much that I started questioning the strict line between the two worlds,’ says Jan. ‘So we created a space where everyone is welcome, whatever their mental or physical challenges.’ (Jan Hoek and Bruin Parry, by Jonnah Bron) This month, Jan Hoek and Bruin Parry are holding a joint exhibition at Galerie Larik, a place that itself forms a bridge between two worlds. Larik works together with ZiZo restaurant, the first Dutch business to be almost entirely run by people with a disability. Jan often seeks out the fringes of society for his work. By working with sex workers, for example, or homeless people and an ex-heroin addict, Jan’s photos provide a podium for people who otherwise go under the radar. ‘I usually take pictures of people who lead a totally different life from me, but with whom I identify.’ Bruin makes drawings, photos and installations. The exhibition in Larik features self-portraits he’s made. ‘I’ve styled myself for these photos. My hair, a good pose, good style,’ according to Bruin himself. He wears nice clothes, plays with the light and takes his lead from the fashion magazines. It might have something to do with the fact that his mother’s a stylist… ‘She did a photo shoot of children with Down for Linda magazine, and I featured in it.’ Bruin loves music and dancing. Performing as Bruin Jackson, he even recorded an LP. He and Jan also designed a line of underwear featuring their drawings. They share a certain exuberance in their work. But it’s not all plain sailing. Jan: ‘We don’t always like the same things, so we sometimes have to hammer things out. Bruin loves Bassie en Adriaan for instance, and I don’t. And he’s not entirely happy when I want to make stuff featuring queer or gender issues.’ Despite the considerable gap they have to bridge, they’re having great fun searching for a new Bassie that’s acceptable to both of them. 17 April to 24 Augustus 2025, Ik ben gewoon hier, Centraal Museum / The Castle of Many Bodies, No Limits! Art Castle, garden Centraal Museum, centraalmuseum.nl to 26 April 2025, I love myself, I love others, Bruin Parry and Jan Hoek, Galerie Larik, galerielarik.nl Event I like myself, I like Others Galerie Larik The exhibition “I like myself, I like others” shows how artists Bruin Parry and Jan Hoek are connected in special way. They have known each other since Parry’s birth and when the two artists join forces they create something magical. Time various times View event Location Centraal Museum The Central Museum has an extensive collection of old, modern and applied art and fashion and city history collections. View location