Step into a world where not you are central, but the plant. The Inner Garden is an exhibition with artworks by Farida Sedoc and Mirjam Linschooten curated by the Kunstjongeren, a pilot program involving Bella Lachman, Kiera Kuitenbrouwer, Florian Boon, Manisha Singh, Wobbe Wiedijk and Hannah Sewell.

Initiated by de Appel and The Beach, and active since September 2020, Kunstjongeren is also part of the development of a Children's Museum in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. Extending the mentoring methods of de Appel’s renowned Curatorial Programme or CP, a group of Amsterdammers (all younger than the 27-year old Curatorial Programme!) have been experimenting with different forms of presentation and discovering what curating means to them. They did this during various sessions with their curatorial mentor Bas Hendrikx (de Appel Curatorial Programme alum 2014/2015) and the artists Farida Sedoc and Mirjam Linschooten.

Together with curator Bas Hendrikx, the young people explored what a curator is and does. Asked about topics they care most about, they brought up sustainability and living with nature in the city. Together with the internationally emerging local artist Farida Sedoc, the young people investigated what it means to be an artist and how this is connected to society and your personal life. They connected on the importance of specific textures and textiles in their lives by making references to music, materials and videos. An important inspiration for the young people was Stevie Wonder's 1979 album Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants, which revealed a common interest in nature and plants.

I can't conceive the nucleus of all
Begins inside a tiny seed
And what we think as insignificant
Provides the purest air we breathe

Excerpt from ‘Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants’ (1979) by Stevie Wonder

Dutch artist and researcher Mirjam Linschooten introduced her view on plants and asked the young people to consider theirs. What is real nature to you? And how do we collect knowledge about plants? These were just some of the questions the youth discussed. "By shifting perspectives to look at people from the point of view of the plant, we become more aware of the relationship between people and plants, and their mutual impact. Here is an eye-opening idea to which the Kunstjongeren themselves have given shape,” says Linschooten. 'Emotion', as in a shared emotion between plants and people, also played an important role for the Kunstjongeren. "A person pays attention and cares for something that moves her,” Linschooten summarizes, “the plant grows stronger, bigger, broader, and says, ‘The more of me, the more for you.’ In this way, emotion becomes an exchange of attention and oxygen."

On 15 and 16 May 2021, the Kunstjongeren set out to present their own exhibition – to one person at a time – in a bus! The vehicle will make several stops where visits of 15 minutes can be scheduled:

15 May from 11:30 to 13:30 de Appel (Schipluidenlaan 12)
15 May from 15:00 to 17:00 August Allebéplein
16 May from 11:30 to 13:30 The Beach (Notweg 38)
16 May from 15:00 to 17:00 Van Eesteren Paviljoen (Noordzijde 31)

For press images or other queries, contact Curator of Education David Smeulders david [​at​] deappel.nl.

Kunstjongeren is a collaboration between de Appel and The Beach, made possible with support from Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst (AFK) and Gemeente Amsterdam.