Book presentation Graafdier by Nikki Dekker

During this presentation, Nikki Dekker takes us through her new story, which she wrote during her stay in De Groote Peel. The deeper we go, the further we travel into the past, past cricket and talking fungi, land consolidation and the invention of the clock, to the period 300 million years ago when Brabant was still a seabed. We will then visit the exhibition Soils, in which international artists, designers, farmers and activists show our (tense) relationship to the earth.

Register via the button (free with a museum ticket or museum card).

Programme Saturday September 28

• 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Walk-in Van Abbe café
• 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM Word of welcome by Loes Janssen (artistic director Tilt)
• 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM In conversation with Nikki Dekker
• 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM Digger animal tours Soils
• 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM Closing drinks in Van Abbe café, Nikki present to sign

More information about the book Graafdier & writer Nikki Dekker

Just like the artists in the Soils exhibition, writer Nikki Dekker looked for the relationship to the land and the soil in which we are rooted. At the invitation of the Van Abbemuseum, literary production house Tilt and the Cultural Fund, she stayed in De Groote Peel for three weeks. This resulted in her second novel Graafdier. An investigation, a time travel and an activity book for everyone who is curious about the world around them.

Nikki Dekker (1989) is a writer and radio maker. Her debut noveldiepdiepblauw (2022) was awarded the CCS Crone Stipendium and nominated for the Bronzen Uil (shortlist) and De Boon (longlist). De Volkskrant proclaimed her 'literary talent of 2023'. Nikki writes columns for Vroege Vogels and is on the editorial staff of literary magazine Tirade.

More information about the exhibition Soils

The soil is the basis of our lives. It is where our ancestors once lived and where future generations will build a life. It is the link between past, present and future. The source that feeds us. But the relationship between humans and the earth is also often tense. From land depletion and overproduction to land theft and (labor) exploitation. How can we re-ground ourselves in our environment? And how does that help us reconnect with each other? The group exhibition Soils addresses these questions. International artists, designers, farmers and activists are working to create more empathy for our lands. More information about Soils.