Opening Day Recap :0

Hi Reader!

Thanks for being one of the first people to sign up for my newsletter. You are one of 40 people to recieve this unique one of a kind email in your inbox, wow so cool.

So, last Saturday was opening day of my exhibition. Jeez. That was overwhelming. I’m going to be completely honest with you. I was so emotional and drained at the end of the day. For a moment I even questioned if I chose the right career path, I came back to my senses quickly enough though ;)

It was amazing to get immediate input and so much positive feedback on my work. I’m very grateful for this exciting experience!

Newsflash: sharing art is terrifying

It’s super scary and vulnerable to show others your art. I felt nervous, nauseous, naked. I felt seen but also like I had no control. Frustrated to see someone flip through my work and miss the point. To see someone not getting the full experience that I had planned for them. I felt like I had no control over how my work was perceived. Does that make sense? I needed a few days to process the weekend. It went by in a flash. Seriously, I was talking all day but what did I even say?

Besides, I was so happy to see that my concept worked. I made little exhibition guides, or ‘zines’, with some highlighted works from the exhibition and with those works, philosophical themes and questions to think about and discuss. This way people are encouraged take more time to take in the art and what is behind it. It was really cool to see my work as a tool for connection .

I’ve printed and number exactly 100 of these guides. Over half of them were already taken on opening day. Reader, I have a special offer for you because you’ve signed up for this list: I want to send out 5 of these guides to whoever would like one. No worries if you haven’t seen the exhibition, the questions and themes can still serve as a conversation starter without the actual art. And this zine is ofcourse by itself a work of art ;) If you want one just respond to this email with your full address! First come, first serve.

The exhibition is open one last weekend: 4 and 5 February in case you want to check it out. 12:00 -15:00 at Verdronkenoord 18, Alkmaar.

I created this video to help me remember and revisit the day. You can too if you're curious to see what it was like :)

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In other news, I have two DJ gigs coming up in January. On the 21st I’ll be playing in my hometown at Alkmaars Eigenste Festival (fun fact: my dad will be performing a the same venue, the same night!)

AND I will be playing some tunes with my DJ collective ‘Aan Tafel!'On the 27th of January at Club IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam) :0 I’m so excited for this opportunity! Maybe I’ll tell you some more about ‘Aan Tafel!’ next time. I don’t want this email to get too long…

Thanks for reading, if you care to let me know your thoughts on this first newsletter I would love to hear it. I had fun making it.

Byeee :)

Liefs,
Zena

PS. Music recommendation: my Opening Day Spotify playlist!

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