Kunstpalast, Going Dutch

Kunstpalast, Going Dutch (2005) by Berend Strik references both the Kunstpalast exhibition in Düsseldorf and the Dutch tradition of cultural self-examination. "Going Dutch" — the practice of splitting bills equally — becomes a metaphor for cultural exchange and artistic reciprocity between the Netherlands and Germany.

The Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf is a major cultural venue, and Strik's engagement with it reflects his international practice. The work is part of a broader exploration of European cultural institutions and their role in shaping national and transnational identities.

As with all his work, Strik transforms documentary photographs through textile intervention, adding fabric layers and stitched details that create new layers of meaning beyond the original image. This process of adding — rather than simply showing — is central to Strik's philosophy: photographs are "unfinished, open, incomplete," and require the artist's intervention to reach their full potential meaning.

The title's play on "Going Dutch" also suggests a democratization of cultural experience — art as shared resource rather than exclusive luxury.

Sources: Galerie Fons Welters