Hella de Jonge – Dichter bij hun ziel

Two men in red ringmaster's coats stand in identical poses, and one holds a string of real, worn pointe shoes from Het Nationale Ballet. They were Carel en Carels, a comic double act. One was Hella de Jonge's great-grandfather Abraham Miller, murdered in the war, and she only learned of the duo from photos in a box at her father's house.

De Jonge, a sculptor who has designed Freek de Jonge's costumes since 1980, started painting in 2020 to give faces to relatives she never met. There are 37 recent paintings and two sculptures, with tutus, costume pieces and embroidery worked into the canvases. You step closer to a family portrait and find smoking chimneys or half-hidden gravestones. Dolls keep turning up: for her, they stand for murdered innocence.

Later canvases fold Ukraine and Gaza into the same story. Writer Anne-Rose Mater, who toured it with the artist, called the work colourful and flamboyant. It runs until 7 February 2027, with film screenings and tours alongside.