About

dertien hectare is a Dutch art organisation that presents an outdoor exhibition every two years in the rural area of Heeswijk-Bernheze, outside the city of s-Hertogenbosch in the south of the Netherlands. The exhibition site is a former farm that is being transformed into a regenerating forest, influenced by changing national and European environmental policies. In this shifting landscape, amongst the growing trees, dertien hectare presents work by international contemporary artists.

Each exhibition is inspired by and developed in relation to the specific context of the site. dertien hectare welcomes the response of artists and curators from various global contexts and encourages the development of site-specific projects. dertien hectare exhibitions provide multiple layers of interpretation and communicate to a local, national and international audience.

about the location

dertien hectare is located in a region with a rich agricultural history. For many generations the site was part of a large working farm, but it has recently undergone a dramatic change of land use with its transformation into a regenerating forest with over 35,000 new seedlings planted in 2003.

The site, which consists of thirteen hectares of land, is located on the outskirts of the villages of Heeswijk-Dinther in the North Brabant region of the Netherlands. The surrounding area is a mixture of working farms, residential properties and leisure destinations, including camping grounds, restaurants, hotels, an outdoor theatre and equestrian centres. The region is also home to historic attractions such as the farm museum Meierijsche Museumboerderij, the historic Berne Abbey and the medieval Heeswijk castle.

Unlike other outdoor exhibitions that are often presented in stately gardens or urban parks, dertien hectare exhibitions are located within a rural landscape in the midst of transformation. This context offers a point of departure and inspiration for the guest curators and invited artists.

Traces of former dertien hectare exhibitions can still be found on the site, for example the zebra crossing ‘De oversteek’ (‘The crossing’) by Jan van den Langenberg, ‘All Alone Among the Stars’ by Marjolijn Dijkman, and a wooden platform that was part of the installation ‘Stereo rain’, by Jeroen Doorenweerd.

dertien hectare is privately owned land that is accessible to the public via the banks of the Leijgraaf river or, during exhibitions, through a private entrance at Meerstraat 22.

about the organisation

Guest curator of the 2010 exhibition: Sarah Farrar

Press and pr co-ordinator: Nathalie Hartjes

dertien hectare is organised by: Miesjel van Gerwen,Toine van der Heijden, Frans van Lokven, Jannemeis Snels and Ivonne van der Velden.