Treat with Care while Aging
Treat with Care while Aging opens on February 28 in our showroom. The opening takes place from 18:00 to 21:00.
You can visit the exhibition between February 28 and 4 May. Our opening hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 14:00 – 19:00, and Friday from 14:00 – 21:00.
“For me, moving from my island—leaving behind its familiar waters and white sands—was like planting a seed in new soil”
A little seed was born 7846 kilometres away from where she is currently planted.
In this sunny place, she grew up not knowing how to water herself.
When it rained, she was happy.
Her mother taught her that there is beauty in raindrops bouncing off her petals.
What would it mean to replant herself in unknown soil?
The seed sowed herself in each new home she found herself in.
Not knowing if her roots could keep growing, in all these new places.
For the longest time she couldn’t accept that she couldn’t grow rooted in a garden.
But she learned to bloom anywhere, through concrete and challenges.
And even through the season’s changes, she flourished.
“For me, moving from my island—leaving behind its familiar waters and white sands—was like planting a seed in new soil. I left the cultural roots that had nurtured me and entered a land of colder winds, unfamiliar skies, and new perspectives that brought a different sense of clarity.”
— Je-Anne Dirksz
The question “Kico bo a cosecha te awo? – What have you harvested so far?” reflects on what you have gathered through the seasons of your life—experiences, struggles, triumphs, and the lessons, growth, and understanding that come with time.
And it considers what you’ve gained—patience, resilience, and adaptability. The harvest includes not just memories of where you come from, but the strength to build anew, even amidst uprooting.
Within the natural world, these cycles are illustrated beautifully. The sun rises and sets, trees bloom and drop their blossom, and rain renews the soil. Reflecting the earth’s rhythm, human beings adapt and evolve, while they remain deeply rooted in their essence.
Treat with Care while Aging explores the theme of identity through metaphors of nature. Program maker Je-Anne Dirksz invites you to grow and fall, to find new ways to plant yourself in her garden sanctuary.
By:
Je-Anne Dirksz
With:
Cem Altinöz
Chloé Blansjaar
Justin Reinir Croes
Seré Asunción (opening performance)
Campaign image:
Zayhra Erasmus
The exhibition ‘Treat with Care while Aging’ is curated by Je-Anne Dirksz (she/her). Dirksz hails from Aruba, and has been living in Rotterdam for 5 years. She has been writing from a young age, and after moving from an island to a big city she held on to journaling, not only as a hobby but as a necessity. Dirksz started documenting her good days and her lower days in a document named ‘Treat with Care while Aging’, which functions as her accountability partner through life. In this space she expresses herself without boundaries, while continuously encountering new questions, such as “Kico ta bida riba dia nan pisa?”, which translates to “What is life on heavy days?” She spends her time enjoying life with her friends and taking photographs, to carry the memories with her while she journeys.
Cem Altınöz (he/him) is a Turkish multimedia artist based in the Netherlands who mainly works and plays with image and text. Deriving inspiration from his own medical history of autoimmunity, he strives to make connections between the singular and the universal; his work usually results in imageries that are impure and sullied, roaming through the realms of the uncanny.
Chloé Blansjaar (she/her) is an intuitive maker, who prefers to let her poetic work unfold organically, naturally and intrinsically. Awareness of seasons, cyclical living, and transience are significant elements in both her life and artistic practice. Blansjaar believes that as a society, we can gain valuable insights from these natural processes. Through visual elements and sound, she aims to sow seeds of awareness and appreciation for the natural environment, emphasizing our interconnectedness.
Zayhra Erasmus is a self-taught graphic and creative designer, originally from Aruba and currently based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. With a passion for visual storytelling, Zayhra specializes in graphic design, visual design, and branding. Her design journey began with a simple fascination for creating and curating her own flyers and posters, which sparked her deep connection to the creative process. For Zayhra, graphic design is much more than just aesthetics; it’s a medium through which she can translate her emotions, thoughts, and ideas into tangible expressions. Her work is a reflection of her belief in the power of design to bridge the gap between thought and reality, creating a visual language that resonates on a deeper level. Zayhra thrives on the interplay of analogies and the curation of vibrant, dynamic designs that not only communicate visually but also evoke emotional responses. She views each project as an opportunity to craft unique and meaningful experiences, drawing inspiration from both her Caribbean roots and her experiences living in the vibrant city of Rotterdam.