(2022) On the weekend of October 8 and 9, “De Dikke Show” gave, a “dikke show” once again. The municipality of Hoorn organised a festive event in honour of the Battle on the Zuiderzee. While it’s a romantic story that reminds me a bit of Asterix and Obelix, I personally don’t think it’s a great idea to start up a new nationalist celebration in this day and age. Racism and fascism always start with nationalism. That’s why I’m not a fan. I’d rather see the city invest in events where everyone feels welcome. That could’ve been a reason for me to skip this one, but I chose to see it as an opportunity to add my own critical stamp.
De “Dikke Show” is a Hoorn-based artist collective with a changing line-up. Right now it consists of the artists: Jaap Stiemer, Boxie, BOTOX, Wilfredo Daalmeijer, Arno van der Pol, Onno Roos, Nalim Kawon, and me STHOM. The idea behind “De Dikke Show” is simple: we give a dikke show (which means something like: Big Show). By working together live on one large artwork, the audience gets to see us in action, not just the final result. We paint over each other’s work, under each other’s arms, and sometimes that causes a little tension or pain. But that’s part of the process. In the end, what emerges is a bold and powerful collective piece.
With love,
STHOM
