Each year we host our Page of Possibilities workshops for children— free and accessible creative sessions inspired by child-lead learning, which introduce children to the world of artistic publications.

This year Page Not Found united forces with Stichting de Vrolijkheid and artists Fatemeh Heidari and Zahar Bondar to provide workshops for children at the Asylum Seeker Centre in Katwijk (AZC Katwijk).

To kick off this workshop season and to pay tribute to the people who have been putting their heart into introducing art to these children, we are presenting a mini exhibition with the works of participants and young residents at the AZC Katwijk, that were created in the past years with De Vrolijkheid. The exhibition is on view on October 12th and October 13th, 1- 6pm, free entrance.

The exhibition features sculptural works, drawings, paintings and books which were created by children during the workshops lead by the Hague based artist Natascha van Nooijen Kooij. One of the projects was the Art Game, for which the young artists created lifesize mobile figures, which acted both as characters as well as their imaginary homebase. United in a self-built geodome, the Art Game resulted in a performance with dance, music and moving artworks.

Clay objects were created during the art sessions lead by Fatemeh Heidari and Samieh Shahcheraghi, where children explored what makes a memory special. The participants were invited to share stories connected to meaningful objects, from natural elements like trees and rivers to personal belongings such as a favorite toy, a book, or a cup. Drawn sketches were transformed into clay, and put on small tiles. Children then painted their objects, bringing their memories to life in vibrant colors.

The exhibition also features ceramic and textile elements created by Zahar Bondar especially for this occasion. A theatrical set-design is by Ola Vasiljeva.

De Vrolijkheid foundation organizes creative workshops and activities at the asylum seekers’ centers across the Netherlands. They have been doing this for more than 20 years together with and for the youth who live in these centers.

Heartfelt thank you to the team of de Vrolijkheid in Katwijk: Natascha van Nooijen Kooij, Karen Wuertz, Ingeborg Dennesen, as well as Fatemeh Heidari  and Zahar Bondar. The Page of Possibilities programme is made possible thanks to the financial support of  Gemeente Den Haag and the Mondriaan Fonds.