20/08/2026
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Open Studio & Artist Talk
Artist in Residence
Renske Versluijs
Open Studio:
22 - 25 August 2026
16:00 - 20:00
Artist Talk:
22 August 2026
19:00 - 20:00
Ruang MES 56
Jl. Mangkuyudan 53A
Mantrijeron Yogyakarta
Can you fly if you don’t know your roots?
Can you swim if you don’t know the hidden depths of the ocean?
Designer & Photographer Renske Versluijs from The Netherlands researched her family history. Her Indo European family moved from Surabaya to the Netherlands in 1958, when her mother was a baby. Growing up in The Netherlands left many questions unanswered. Both her own family history and the historical context of the Dutch Colonial past. In her research Renske focussed on the maternal line of the family in search of her foremothers, their culture and identity.
It took her family one month to travel to the Netherlands by boot, sixty-eight years later Renske flew back to her roots in one day. After traveling in the footsteps of her foremothers on Java and Madura, she explores traditional and modern crafts during a residency at art collective Ruang MES 56. From photography to batik techniques and cyanotype printing. Collaborating with local artists helps her build a bridge between the past and present, allowing her to further shape her identity and grow as a creative.
During the Open studio you can discover the proces of her project, visit the Artist Talk and join us in a discourse about identity and working through our shared past.