Koning Willem-Alexander Munten

Koning Willem-Alexander Munten (King Willem-Alexander Coins, 2020) by Berend Strik references Dutch royal iconography through the motif of currency — specifically coins featuring the Dutch monarch. The work connects to Strik's ongoing investigation into symbols of national identity and institutional power.

Strik frequently appropriates institutional imagery — banknotes, stamps, official photographs — and transforms them through his textile interventions. The coins of the Dutch royal family become sites for exploring the intersection of national identity, economic value, and symbolic representation.

As the artist states, his practice is fundamentally about "searching for meaning" through images. By adding delicate textile layers — tulle, velvet, threads — to found or made photographs, Strik creates contexts where "the fruits of the imagination are made tangible." The coins motif connects to themes of value, exchange, and the social construction of worth that run through his practice.

Strik (born 1960, Nijmegen) has been creating stitched photographs since the late 1980s. His work has been exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Fries Museum, and internationally. He is represented by Galerie Fons Welters (Amsterdam), Jack Tilton Gallery (New York), and Hopstreet Gallery (Brussels).

Sources: Galerie Fons Welters · Livingstone Gallery