The hero, the villain & the truth - A theatrical exhibition of Folkert de Jong's styrofoam sculptures

Martin Luther disguised as a terrorist. Jesus and Mary in reverse roles. Queen Wilhelmina as a circus director. Snoop Dogg as a totem pole. With twisted versions of historical figures, Folkert de Jong shows how history came about, could have gone differently and is still changing. De Jong plays with history: he reverses roles, makes contemporary problems appear in the past and historical events unfold differently from what we are used to. The hero, the villain and the truth travels throughout the Netherlands for a year and a half (unique for a visual art exhibition), including Kunstlinie Almere, Chassé Breda, Rotterdam Art Week and Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle.

The hero, the villain and the truth is an initiative of curator and cultural entrepreneur Johan Idema, i.c.w. Folkert de Jong and exhibition makers Brandwacht & Meijer.

A theatrical performance with light and story
In the exhibition, De Jong's sculptures are staged: stimulating audio stories and theatrical lighting provide the sculptures with meaning and interpretation. Authors and theatre-makers such as Elfie Tromp, Abdelkader Benali, Roziena Salihu and Maxine Palit de Jongh wrote the stories. The theatrical performance allows audiences to understand and experience De Jong's work more deeply.

The exhibition presents historical figures such as Governor Peter Minuit (while “buying” Manhatta), Martin Luther (disguised as a terrorist), Jesus and Mary (in upside-down roles), Queen Wilhelmina (as a circus director), Snoop Dogg (as a totem pole) and Zeeland Girl. Together, the images tell a story about our country's history - our mercantile spirit, the role of religion, the position of women - and how this history has been written and is being rewritten. The exhibition forms a unique, creative and visual history lesson, which turns out to be as joyful as it is grim. The artist plays with history: turns roles, makes contemporary problems appear in the past and historical events unfold differently from what we are used to.

Topical relevance
The hero, the villain and the truth shows how Folkert De Jong uses his art as a weapon to question history. 'An innocent weapon, 'cause you're just looking at it. But I want to show that history is malleable as well as static. Through time, roles can change.' The exhibition shows how a different zeitgeist leads to a different history. This makes De Jong's work and this exhibition topical and relevant at a time when social issues such as racism, gender identity and colonialism are raising plenty of questions about the transmission of history.

_{Photo: Aatjan Renders}

About Folkert de Jong
Folkert de Jong (Alkmaar, 1972) is considered one of the most important living artists in the Netherlands. He studied at the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten and Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten. His work consists of life-size human figures made of insulation material: polyurethane foam and styrofoam. A recipient of the Prix de Rome and Charlotte Köhler Prize, de Jong gained international fame over the past twenty-five years with dozens of solo exhibitions in museums worldwide, from Milan and New York to Mexico City and Hong Kong. De Jong is praised for his virtuosity as a sculptor and his brilliant expression of human madness.

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