The Dutch city of The Hague, renowned for hosting the United Nations’ judicial arm, offers much more than global peace and justice institutions. It houses some of Europe’s most prestigious art museums, including the Mauritshuis, where visitors can admire Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Additionally, the city features the highly popular Madurodam, a vast scale model showcasing some of the Netherlands’ most famous and historic palaces and public buildings. Located in the charming Scheveningen district, it is close to a wide and popular beach on the North Sea.
Madurodam hosts several playful inflatable art installations as part of the BlowUp Jubilee, an anniversary edition of the well-known BlowUp Art event in The Hague. Now in its sixth year, this open-air public art exhibition, curated by Mary Hessing, features 20 pieces that interact with monuments and buildings, celebrating heritage and accessibility for all.
The BlowUp Jubilee invites artists whose work has been featured over the past five years to return, often with new arrangements or locations for their sculptures. These pieces, including inflatable orbs, shell-like shapes, and spikes, offer surprising interactions of scale, color, and form, reimagining various landmarks.
In Madurodam, the interplay of size and scale is particularly intriguing, with a giant pink chair appearing large in a fountain but actually being quite small. Elsewhere in the city, other works honor historic architecture with truly monumental creations. Highlights include Steve Messam’s bulbous, green passageway and Eugenie Boon’s tribute to her Caribbean roots in “koncha pa dilanti,” a piece inspired by a board game from the islands. Additional notable works include a giant yellow donut by John Körmeling, a pink pavilion by Sigrid Calon, and a cosmic cafe concept by Yamuna Forzani.
The BlowUp Jubilee runs until June 21. For more information and to plan a visit, check out the event’s website. You might also find Bubbletecture interesting.
