Katja Sokolova

Let's all go Dutch

Eat bacon pancakes with sugar syrup, talk politics at parties and always start your conversations with a question. What does it mean to be Dutch, exactly? Is it possible to become, or stop being Dutch? Is it like you wake up in the morning and say to yourself: oh, actually, today I feel quite Dutch? Kompromat is going all the way to Eindhoven to find it out!

Katja Sokolova- a happy gastarbeider in Holland - on her way to becoming Dutch, weaponed with pumps and a fake Louis Vuitton bag. Andrei Tchernikov

Met: Katja Sokolova, Louis Vuitton, Van Abbemuseum

back to the exhibition venue...

At Van Abbemuseum, guests already start arriving, just in time for the official opening... - International curators Julia Aksenova (Russia) and Inti Guerrero (Colombia) don't know yet that all the speeches will be in the local language. Sorry, guys, it seems that to become Dutch one should be able to speak Dutch first.

Met: Van Abbemuseum, De Appel

Burgemeester of Eindhoven Rob van Gijzel is a real gentleman. - Please! After you. Andrei Tchernikov

Met: Charles Esche, Van Abbemuseum

Ilya Rabinovich - a participating artist- is happy the preparations for the show are finished. - Or is he thinking the official part is way too long? Or is he thinking the official part is way too long? Time for some entertainment...

Met:

An easy way to become Dutch - you have to be a cleaner... be a cleaner or...

a sex worker -

wear a strange bag - just like these people Andrei Tchernikov

Met: Van Abbemuseum

become a truly international woman. - just like the French artist's Julia Boix-Vives companion: she is neatly dressed, a good housewife, and she never opens her mouth. In fact, she doesn't even have one.

Met:

Artist Surasi Kusolwong, however, would prefer a pink-haired girlfriend with a lot of photo cameras. - Surasi organized the Question Paintings March at Van Abbemuseum. Andrei Tchernikov

Met: Surasi Kusolwong

the march went on for 1,5 hours - Andrei Tchernikov

curator and artist by Dan Perjovschi -

Met: Dan Perjovschi, Van Abbemuseum

All kinds of passports, but no Russian one. - Which country is best for the secret agent?

Met: Katja Sokolova, Van Abbemuseum

Van Abbemuseum director Charles Esche has to talk a lot this afternoon. - Explaining the concept of Be(com)ing Dutch to the press, colleagues, and visitors. In Dutch.

Met: Van Abbemuseum, Charles Esche

Curator Maria Hlavajova must feel Dutch as well by now. - Especially after curating the national pavilion of this country at the last Venice Biennial.

Met: Maria Hlavajova, Charles Esche, BAK, La Biennale di Venezia

Homeless Hendrik stays in the museum courtyard for the exhibition period. - As he doesn't have a permanent address for the rest of the year, he gave our photographer Andrei his phone number and e-mail.

Met: Van Abbemuseum,

Is it kosher? - Ilya Rabinovich is a couscous expert. Andrei Tchernikov

Met:

This is really Dutch: all kinds of tokens and tickets for different kinds of food and drinks. - Very confusing.

Met: Andrei Tchernikov

This lovely character introduced himself as Bob. - A great lover of Russian culture. His level of alcohol consumption was so impressive that we believed him immediately. Andrei Tchernikov

A Mondriaan girl with a windmill on her back. - Does being Dutch mean being like this? Andrei Tchernikov

Met: Piet Mondriaan

Is this dish really Dutch? - Hmmm... Andrei Tchernikov

Met: Van Abbemuseum