A Vibrant City
Cultura Nova in the city and regionExpected end time: 17:00 hour
Diverse locaties
During Cultura Nova, the city buzzes like never before.
For ten days, streets, squares and unexpected venues are transformed into stages for theatre, music, dance, circus and visual arts. Visitors wander from performance to performance, meet artists from all over the world and are surprised by extraordinary performances in public spaces. With cosy outdoor cafés, live music and a lively festival atmosphere, the city is the perfect place to experience culture, meet people and celebrate the imagination together.
Take a look below to see what there is to discover and experience!
SCHUNCK presents
Ina van Zyl: Where Are You From
In her paintings, Ina van Zyl zooms in extremely closely on toes, skin, flowers, fruit and everyday objects. What at first appears recognisable is transformed into something else through scale and colour. Her work invites the viewer to look more closely and for longer.
Museum Gallery, Tue–Sun 11.00 – 17.00, accessible with a museum ticket
‘Where Are You From’ by Ina van Zyl (Ceres, South Africa, 1971) is the first major Dutch retrospective of her work. In addition, three exhibitions by Charlotte Koenen, Gladys Zeevaarders and Romy Finke are on display in the Glaspaleis. To accompany *Where Are You From*, SCHUNCK is offering an extensive programme featuring guided tours, workshops, yoga, films and the thirteenth edition of the Frictions Festival.
Charlotte Koenen: Afterimage
Using wood, light-sensitive gelatine and photographic prints, Charlotte Koenen explores the relationship between architecture, water and memory in *Afterimage*. The installation stems from her research into nineteenth-century *lavoirs*, historic washhouses in the French countryside.
Atrium, Tue–Sun 11.00 – 17.00, accessible with a museum ticket
Gladys Zeevaarders: Mein Freund, der Baum
In *Mein Freund, der Baum*, Gladys Zeevaarders uses drawings, prints and woven works to explore the traces people leave behind in their surroundings and the interplay between humans and nature.
Display case, on continuous display, free
STAIRCASE
For STAIRCASE, Romy Finke has developed a series of Viewfinders that offer new perspectives on the Glass Palace, the city and the SCHUNCK collection. She also presents works by artists who are close to her both personally and artistically. Stairwell, Mon–Sat 9.00 am – 5.00 pm, Sun 11.00 am – 5.00 pm, free
Pop-Up Gallery, Nobelstraat 6
EXHIBITION SUN 30 AUG – SUN 6 SEP
2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
NOBELSTRAAT 6, HEERLEN
FREE
In 2022, the Pop-Up Gallery opened its doors for the first time in the Romeins Kwartier in Heerlen. During Cultura Nova, the gallery presents artworks in three existing living spaces. The focus is usually on photography, graphic art and sculptures, but when works by artists (other than photography or graphic art) also engage in an interesting dialogue, these too are given a prominent place: every artist deserves a platform.
Vera de Haas
Vera paints stories. Not stories told with words, but with colour, movement and recognisable forms. She mainly paints people and animals; faces full of character, animals with soul and expression. Every portrait, every gaze and every posture tells its own silent story.
Resi Hanssen-Klein
Resi invites you on a stroll through her watercolour landscapes. Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for her. She is particularly drawn to the vastness of a landscape. Her work is largely abstract, leaving room for your own interpretation. Paintings in which you can lose yourself.
Liesbeth Wenemoser
Liesbeth usually paints realistic portraits of people or animals. She began her artistic journey with drawing, before moving on to watercolour, acrylic and pastel pencil. For the past few years, she has favoured painting with oil paints. She draws inspiration from her immediate surroundings or beautiful atmospheric scenes that catch her eye.
Ilona Siepers
Ilona’s ceramic sculptures are usually of an ethnic nature; she decorates them with finds from beaches and the street. Each piece tells its own story, in which culture, nature and chance discoveries come together. For Ilona, the joy of the creative process itself – searching, combining and modelling – is at least as important as the end result.
Montmartre Plein
ART WEEKEND
Sat 29 + Sun 30 Aug
11.00 – 17.00 HESSELLEPLEIN, HEERLEN
FREE
During Cultura Nova, Hesselleplein in Heerlen is once again transformed into a little piece of Paris. From 11.00 to 17.00, the square fills with open-air art and culture. Easels, canvases and unique creations appear amongst the stalls, whilst soft French music drifts across the square. Both children and adults can paint here for free.
On the open-air stage, performers are given the chance to showcase their talent, and the scent of freshly baked waffles wafts temptingly across the square. A special Montmartre beer is also being brewed again this year. Come along, have a look and enjoy yourself – and perhaps you’ll create your first work of art…
Verjaardag d'r JUUL
SAT 29 AUG
FROM 2.00 PM, PROMENADE II, HEERLEN
On Saturday 29 August, d’r JUUL is celebrating his fourth birthday, and of course we’re not going to let that pass unnoticed! From 2.00 pm, you’re very welcome to join us at Promenade II in Heerlen for a festive afternoon full of fun and surprises. There’s plenty to do for children and families: from creative workshops to fun games and other enjoyable activities. Together, we’ll be celebrating the birthday of our proud city mascot – who’s almost off to primary school – with a festive afternoon you won’t want to miss. Do come along with the whole family!
Kick-off meeting C-US / Cultadvisor
Wed 2 Sep
2.00 pm – 5.00 pm SPIEGELTENT, BURG. VAN GRUNSVENPLEIN, HEERLEN
The Aachen, Liège, Maastricht and Heerlen region – also known as the Euregio Meuse-Rhine – boasts a rich cultural life, with numerous theatres, festivals and cultural institutions. Yet cross-border cultural engagement is demonstrably limited: people rarely attend a concert, musical or performance outside their own language region. Is it a case of ‘you don’t know what you’re missing’? Does language play a role? Or is it a lack of information?
In the past, there have been various attempts to bridge this gap through shared databases and platforms. So far, these have been unsuccessful. This meeting will explore the feasibility of a new initiative: C-US. The aim is to promote cultural exchange in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, partly by making the region’s cultural offerings accessible through new technology and linking them to the hospitality sector. Could it finally succeed this time? Could a C-US community facilitate this connection? The Cultadvisor Foundation will be holding discussions with the Parkstad Urban Region and the Heerlen Entrepreneurs’ Fund.
Omarm de Maan: Dans in het Maankwartier
SUN 30 AUG
6.00 pm – 8.10 pm Maanplein, Heerlen
FREE ADMISSION
Maanplein is embraced by dance! You’ll see the short films *Lucid Dreaming* (winner of the Golden Calf) by Emma Evelein, *Droom* by Fleur Jonkers, and performances by students from the Maastricht Theatre Academy who will be ‘warming up the floor’ for *The Embrace*. This 2021 choreography by Marika Meoli and Joost Vrouenraets will be performed during Cultura Nova by Marika Meoli and Patrizio Bucci. *The Embrace* explores the power and intimacy of the embrace. Two bodies remain in constant contact – skin to skin, intertwined limbs, gliding muscles in an endless movement of connection. At a time when digital communication and individualism are on the rise, this work focuses on the simplicity and value of physical closeness.
Embrace the Moon: Dance in the Maankwartier is a programme organised under the Reuring scheme and is being realised in collaboration with La Loena and Festival schrit_tmacher.
