This duo exhibition brings together two generations of artists.
SYLVIE ZIJLMANS (1964, NL) and HEWALD JONGENELIS (1962, NL) produce critical work that is deeply rooted in current affairs and society. Through their boundless imagination, they make urgent and often difficult-to-grasp themes more accessible. Their practice spans a wide range of media, including metre-high drawings, complex video installations, photography and performances.
'All Suits' is a project that originated in China between 2008 and 2010, but has never been exhibited before. Based on a performance, it depicts a father and son walking along the boulevard in Xiamen as if on a catwalk, modelling two-piece suits for men. With each repetition, another suit is added until the boy is on the verge of collapse under the weight of all the clothing. The suits were made to measure on the spot, to be worn one over the other. For this exhibition, Zijlmans and Jongenelis have fused the suits together to create a new sculpture.
In 2024, Sylvie Zijlmans and Hewald Jongenelis received the Cobra Art Prize for their ability to connect people through art and foster empathy. In 2025, they were Amsterdam’s city artists.
In her paintings, SOFIIA DUBYNA (born 2000 in Ukraine) explores the complex dynamics between closeness and distance in human relationships. Themes such as friendship, intimacy, and identity take centre stage. She is exhibiting a recent series of paintings entitled 'Mothers and Daughters', consisting of a self-portrait and a portrait of her mother from a distance. Between these are a multitude of small paintings depicting memories from the period when mother and daughter were not speaking to each other. These works balance tenderness and alienation.
The paintings are executed in shades of grey and black. The unconventional combination of materials used — make-up, charcoal and pencil — lends the works a fragile surface.
Sofiia Dubyna studied Fine Art at the AKI ArtEZ Academy in Enschede in 2023 and completed her Master’s degree in painting at the Frank Mohr Institute in Groningen in 2025. In 2024, she exhibited at 'Dream On' at the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht.
This year, she was nominated for the second time for the Royal Prize for Fine Art, having already won the public prize in 2023.