The Castle of Many Bodies

Clay is a physical, organic and sometimes unpredictable material—it shrinks, cracks and deforms. At the same time, ceramics is a physical process – you knead it with your hands, or sometimes with your whole body, and you’re in direct contact with the material. This makes it ideally suited for telling stories about the human body. The artists in The Castle of Many Bodies shape new bodies, give form to their experiences and challenge conventions. From protective spiky creatures to sculptures that research gender identity: every artwork reflects the artist’s unique view.

The castle is an artwork in itself, designed by Sander van Noort in collaboration with artists from various studios. It grows organically, build up from recycled parts of the old castle in Amsterdam, remnants of old artworks, and ceramic pieces from De Wijde Doelen, Bijzonder Amsterdam and May van Loenen, among others. This hybrid building symbolizes the power of collaboration, recycling and diversity.

With The Castle of Many Bodies we show the many sides of ceramics, build bridges between the maker and the viewer and celebrate the wealth of bodies and perspectives. Welcome to the castle – a mini-museum and shop, and above all a place where everything and everyone comes together.

Participating artists:

Atelier de Wijde Doelen, Zinderin Kunst, Bijzonder Amsterdams, Sander van Noort, Shani Leseman, Tommy Smits, Jessica Magnin, Maikel Baas, Atelier Totem, Gilbert Smith, Juan Carlos Badia Cabero, Nonna Hoogland, May van Loenen, Ischa Kempka, Natalia Ossef, Chris Rijk, Gijs Assmann, Amber Hyacinth, CrazinisT ArtisT, Alexxx, Mai van Oers, Antoine Moulinard, Ernest Anna Bessems.

The Castle of Many Bodies is made possible by Mondriaan Fonds, Gemeente Utrecht, Cultuurfonds, K.F. Hein Fonds and Stichting Varda.