Maria Nemtsova

This summer, Artists Against the Kremlin returns to De Balie with the exhibition VIRUS featuring over 100 works by artists from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the global diaspora – including names like Nadya Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot), Danila Tkachenko, and Sasha Skochilenko. The exhibition brings together artists who, among other themes, speak out against Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During the opening, international award-winning pianist Maria Nemtsova will give a special performance.

The opening night will feature the premiere of a new concert program by international award-winning pianist Maria Nemtsova. The concert is dedicated to young political prisoners, held in Russian prisons.

The concert stands in support of underage political prisoners in Russia. In today’s climate of repression, young people who dare to speak against the war in Ukraine are being silenced and punished. Despite being minors, many face harsh prison sentences based on flimsy or conflicting evidence. This event is both a protest and an act of solidarity with these brave young voices.

Vladimir Shalamov, curator of Artists Against the Kremlin and founder of All Rights Reversed

For the first time in Amsterdam, the concert will feature excerpts from the diaries of musician and political prisoner Pavel Kushnir – narrated by Gijs Kessler – who died in a Russian prison, alongside compositions by Kate Moore, Frederick Rzewski, and Alexei Skryabin. The program is directed by Vladlena Sandu.

Grand Opening — August 15:  
18:00-19:00 Cocktail, press preview, photography  
19:00-20:00 Curator’s tour of the exhibition Artists Against the Kremlin: Virus  
20:00-21:00 Concert performance by pianist Maria Nemtsova and director Vladlena Sandu  
21:00-23:00 Afterparty in De Balie’s foyer (free entrance)

The Concert:

Music performed by Maria Nemtsova:  
Frederick Rzewski – Dear Diary  
Alexander Scriabin – Vers La Flamme  
Kate Moore – Bestiary

Video installation by Vladlena Sandu

Narrator – Gijs Kessler. During the concert, excerpts from the diaries of musician and political prisoner Pavel Kushnir, who died in a Russian prison, will be read. His words remain a final testimony to a spirit unbroken behind bars.

About the participants

Maria Nemtsova is an Amsterdam-based concert pianist and winner of major international competitions, including the Isabelle Bond Showcase (London), Fort Worth Concerto Competition (USA), and Rosario Marciano Competition (Vienna). She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, and the National Center of Performing Arts in Beijing. She is the founder of Re:FormersFest and Music for Peace, supporting musicians in conflict zones.

Gijs Kessler is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam, specializing in Russian and Soviet social and economic history. From 2002 to 2016, he worked and lived in Moscow, teaching at the prestigious BA program of the New Economic School. He is also a co-founder of the Electronic Repository of Russian Historical Statistics and author of‘Rusland – land dat anders wil zijn’, a first-hand account of thirty years of change in Russia. 

Vladlena Sandu is a filmmaker and theater director. Raised in Grozny, she survived the Chechen War before being displaced to mainland Russia in 1998. She graduated from VGIK in film directing. Her films explore war, memory, and oppression. Holy God (2017) was censored in Russia but screened internationally. Eight Images from the Life of Nastya Sokolova (2018) won the Silver Eye Award. No Nation Without Culture (2023) won Best Short at GoEast IFF. Her autobiographical play The Rainbow Cinema won Best Amsterdam Fringe 2023. Now based in Amsterdam, she continues her work on themes of war, resistance, and memory.

Shane Koppers

De Balie

Artists Against the Kremlin: VIRUS – Opening

Historicus Hans Goedkoop onderzoekt in deze visueel rijke film hoe 400 jaar gedeelde geschiedenis met Nederlands-Indië de Nederlandse samenleving heeft gevormd.

Dit jaar vieren we 80-jaar vrijheid. De gemiddelde Nederlander denkt daarbij aan 5 mei, maar pas op 15 augustus 1945 komt met de Japanse capitulatie in Nederlands-Indië de Tweede Wereldoorlog voor het hele Koninkrijk der Nederlanden definitief ten einde. In 2025 is het 80-jaar geleden dat Nederlands-Indië werd bevrijd van de Japanners en de Indonesische onafhankelijkheidsoorlog begon. De impact van de oude kolonie op ons huidige land is nog altijd onderbelicht en de Indische invloeden zijn niet meer weg te denken uit onze samenleving. Daarom wordt ter gelegenheid van 80-jaar vrijheid de documentaire Sporen van Indië opnieuw uitgebracht.

Historicus Hans Goedkoop neemt de kijker in deze film op een onafhankelijke en visueel aantrekkelijke manier mee naar 400 jaar gezamenlijke geschiedenis tussen Nederland en Nederlands-Indië. Op zoek naar een antwoord op de vraag: Hoe Indisch is Nederland? Vele aspecten van de Indische en koloniale invloeden op de complete Nederlandse maatschappij komen aan bod: De Indo’s, de Molukkers maar ook de veteranen en de Totoks, de plantages en de pensions.

Na de film verdiepen we ons verder in het onderwerp in gesprek met de makers.

Hans Goedkoop is een Nederlandse historicus, literatuurcriticus, schrijver en televisiepresentator, vooral bekend van het geschiedenisprogramma Andere Tijden. Hij staat bekend om zijn heldere vertelstijl en toegankelijke benadering van historische thema’s.

Reda van der Putten is een zelfstandig theater- en filmproducent. Zijn carrière beslaat een breed spectrum, van het regisseren van documentaires tot het produceren van theatershows zoals Lieve Goede Sint Show en komische speelfilms zoals HalloWiebe.

CinéDialoog: 80-jaar vrijheid: Sporen van Indië

Oleksandra Matviichuk is a Ukrainian human rights lawyer. Since 2014 she has been documenting war crimes with her organization Centre for Civil Liberties, that was rewarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. In De Balie she will speak about the fate and role of citizens in war.

Between the Maidan Revolution of Dignity and 2022, Matviichuk focused on documenting war crimes during the conflict in the Donbas region. In 2021, Matviichuk was nominated for the United Nations Committee Against Torture, making history as the first female candidate from Ukraine for a UN treaty body. She campaigned to reduce violence against women in conflict zones. In 2025, she became an ambassador for Protect Ukraine. Matviichuk has called for the prosecution of Vladimir Putin and Russian soldiers in a special tribunal, citing the extensive human rights violations committed by Russian forces.

Preceding her lecture, Jaap Scholten will give a short introduction. Afterwards they will engage in conversation.

> Even if you cannot rely on the international system of peace and security, you can still always rely on people. Ordinary people can change world history quicker than UN intervention. The people of Protect Ukraine are an example of this – Oleksandra Matviichuk

The Fate and Role of Citizens in War

Giorgi Gigashvili

From the European struggle against algorithmic control to the streets of Tbilisi where protesters face AI-powered surveillance cameras, this event brings together journalists, artists, technologists, activists and thinkers to explore how technology is rewriting the rules of power and what it means for the rest of us. This programme is including a supra, a dinner where Georgian food and wine are served.

The event will confront the mythologies of tech innovation, mapping how European policymakers and Georgian street protesters alike navigate the global struggle against algorithmic authoritarianism, revealing a world being reimagined in real time. Join us for an evening of aha moments, radical insights, and unexpected connections — a blueprint for reclaiming our collective agency in a world increasingly defined by invisible algorithms.  There will be stories, music and great conversation about the day after tomorrow: where resistance isn’t just about fighting, but about reimagining how technology can serve human dignity, and tools of control can become instruments of liberation. 

Bring your questions and ideas: your voice is part of the conversation, and we invite you to help shape where the discussion goes.  

After the main program, experience our twist on one of humanity’s oldest storytelling traditions: a Georgian feast where delicious food is served alongside stories, connection, and dissent. 

More speakers will be anounced soon.

About ZEG Network
Powered by award-winning journalism from Coda Story, ZEG’s original parent company, ZEG Network unites investigative reporters, artists, activists, and thinkers to explore the stories shaping our collective future. The natural evolution of ZEG Fest, Tbilisi’s renowned storytelling festival, this initiative creates spaces for urgent, cross-border conversations that challenge dominant narratives. Through deep journalism and creative collaboration, we work to amplify voices and ideas that reimagine what comes next for our world.

ZEG Amsterdam: Stories for the Day After Tomorrow

Mani Nickpour

In the aftermath of a war in the Middle East, an innocent Water Carrier falls victim to the violence, her tragic death sending ripples through time. Nima, an ex-soldier now living in Amsterdam, is tormented by guilt and fragmented memories. To find redemption, he must confront his past with the help of a mysterious Dream Machine—while Ahriman, the evil spirit of chaos tries to lure him into darkness. Centuries earlier, Cyrus the Great and Perseus battle Ahriman and his minions, setting into motion events that will resonate with Nima’s journey across time.

Dream Machine is the result of a nine-year journey undertaken by Mani Nickpour and his community of collaborators. The film was produced outside of traditional structures—fueled by artistic conviction and the immense trust of the cast and crew. Partially due to the limited budget, partially thanks to his contagious enthousiasm, Mani took many roles to make this film happen—besides playing the main character, he is also the producer, director, writer, cinematographer, set designer, VFX artist, sound designer, costume designer, and even contributed to the soundtrack (together with Lazerhawk, Jose Acuña and Lavinia Meijer who also stars in the film).

Dream Machine feels like what you would get if Parajanov and Jodorowsky conceived a child in Japan and raised it in the Netherlands, where it was nannied by Ed Wood’s Iranian incarnation, who infused it with his feverish, no-nonsense DIY spirit.

Shot in the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, France and Greece, this film is a living proof that making fantastical films on a shoestring budget is still possible. Told outside of linear time, it is a film founded upon mystic architecture, blending Persian, Greek, Japanese and Egyptian myths. With its richly symbolic and ambiguous narrative, the film remains open to interpretation—but in light of current events in the Middle East and the world’s general state of chaos, its apocalyptic themes feel especially timely.

After the screening, we’ll speak with Mani about his extraordinary creative process, as well as the deeper meanings behind this multifaceted story.


About the speaker

Mani Nickpour is a Dutch-Iranian filmmaker and educator based in Amsterdam. Born in Tehran in 1983, he began his artistic journey as a child actor in a film directed by his father, Saeid Nickpour. After relocating to the Netherlands in 1990, Mani pursued his passion for storytelling, eventually founding the audiovisual company HADOKEN. His debut feature, Death Before Dying, short film YUME (夢) and his latest feature Dream Machine, have garnered international acclaim, winning awards such as Best Fantasy at the Kanazawa Film Festival in Japan and Best Feature Film at the Phenomena International Film Festival in Brazil.

CinéDialoog: Dream Machine

On October 25, 2023, three weeks after the war in Gaza started, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” Together with Omar El Akkad, Sinan Çankaya and Mohamedou Ould Slahi we talk about moral failure and Western complicity.

Western governments often present themselves as defenders of human rights, international law, and democratic values, but have often held a double standard. El Akkad argues in his latest book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This that the moral failure in Gaza is not sudden, but an exposure of long-standing contradictions. He describes this from his experiences in war reporting in Afghanistan and reporting on the trials of Guantanamo Bay. Mohamedou Ould Slahi has experienced first-hand what this meant during his 14 years imprisonment in Guantanamo Bay without a trial. Anthropologist Sinan Çankaya analyzed Dutch double standards in his latest book Galmende geschiedenissen. All three voices remind us that history tends to be rewritten after the fact, that silence is often bought with convenience, and that complicity wears many faces.

These failures are not confined to distant battlefields. Under President Trump, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carrie out mass deportations that tear families apart and subject countless people to detention in inhumane conditions. The EU, at the same time, intends to pursue more migration deals like the controversial agreement with Tunisia, which has been criticized for violating human rights. Where can we look for moral justice today?

One day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This: on Gaza, Hypocrisy and the West

In 2024 gaf Nederland ruim 110 miljard euro uit aan zorg, dat is 10 procent van het bruto nationaal product. Dat bedrag zal de komende decennia fors groeien. Hoe houden we in een vergrijzende samenleving de gezondheidszorg toegankelijk en betaalbaar?

Na veel gesteggel sloot het demissionaire kabinet deze zomer een nieuw zorgakkoord. De ambitie is om het personeelstekort en de bureaucratie terug te dringen. Maar grote financiële koerswijzigingen blijven uit. In aanloop naar de Kamerbehandeling van de zorgbegroting bespreken we met intensivist en internist Armand Girbes en hoogleraar Passende zorg Tijn Kool de toekomst van de zorg. Is het twintig jaar nadat de marktwerking in de zorg werd geïntroduceerd en private verzekeraars hun intrede deden tijd voor een nieuw stelsel?

Armand Girbes ziet van dichtbij hoe het systeem piept en kraakt – op de IC, in de eerste lijn én in het beleid. In zijn nieuwste boek Zieke zorg maakt hij de balans op van bijna twintig jaar marktwerking in de zorg. 

Tijn Kool promoveerde in de jaren op de belofte van marktwerking in de zorg: betere kwaliteit en lagere kosten, dankzij prikkels van concurrentie. Maar inmiddels is zijn toon veranderd. ‘Dit systeem houdt ons met zijn allen een beetje gegijzeld,’ stelt hij. De oorspronkelijke belofte heeft plaatsgemaakt voor bureaucratische spaghetti, perverse prikkels en een zorgveld waarin medisch personeel zich steeds vaker afvraagt: voor wie doen we het eigenlijk nog?

De prijs van zorg: waartoe leidde twintig jaar marktwerking?

Too often, culture is viewed as a commodity or an industry — especially through a Western lens. But what if we were to shift our perspective? In a time when art and culture are under pressure in the Netherlands, can we find inspiration for a different view on the role of culture elsewhere?

According to Cameroonian historian and political theorist Achille Mbembe, ‘it is highly likely that the arts of the 21st century will be African. This is no surprise, for isn’t the future of the planet playing out on the African continent in that enigmatic laboratory of major contemporary metamorphoses?’

In this program at De Balie, in collaboration with the Prince Claus Fund, we explore how a non-Western perspective can enrich our understanding of culture — what it is, and what it contributes to. How can we create a more sustainable system for culture?

Together with Teesa Bahana (director of the 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust) and artist and architect Ola Hassanain, we’ll discuss how culture and artists can be reimagined as forces for justice, care, and sustainable change. How do we move beyond dominant frameworks, often shaped by western commercial values? And what is the impact of organisations such as the Prince Claus fund, and of development in general, on culture?

About the Prince Claus Fund
The Prince Claus Fund is an independent foundation dedicated to culture and development. The fund supports artists and cultural organizations in places where culture is under pressure, from Asia, Africa and Latin America, to the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. The Prince Claus Fund Foundation receives support in this regard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ).

The future of culture

Marc Bamuthi Joseph

Shortly after the Trump administration took office, performing artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph was fired. Until then, he had served as the Artistic Director of Social Impact at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. During The State of the World, he reflects on the challenges of making art in times of political tension.

The State of the World is an annual interview series organized by De Balie and the Nederlands Theater Festival (NTF), in which a leading international artist reflects on the role of art in our changing world. This year’s special guest is Marc Bamuthi Joseph. In the media, he has spoken out about the impact of these institutional shifts on artists and staff. His critical stance, along with his sharp vision on the role of art in a divided society, is the reason for his visit to Amsterdam.

During The State of the World, Marc Bamuthi Joseph speaks about his personal experiences within the American arts sector, the challenges of creating art in politically turbulent times, and the power of imagination as a source of healing, resistance, and connection. The interview program The State of the World is a collaboration between NTF and De Balie, as part of Amsterdam Fringe x NTF PRO.

About the speaker
Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a TED Global Fellow and a member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has collaborated with major orchestras and opera houses across the U.S., including the LA Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet, and the Washington National Opera. His work—from spoken word to opera—is deeply rooted in themes such as social justice, community, spirituality, and reconciliation. As a performer, he is also widely recognized, having appeared in the HBO adaptation of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The State of the World: Marc Bamuthi Joseph

Ekaterina Levental

Andrea Voets

Sarah Jeffery

Anastasis Sarakatsanos

Resonate Productions returns to De Balie with a brand new interactive performance including live music by Andrea Voets, Yung Tuan Ku and Sarah Jeffery. Nothing Bigger Than Humanity invites you to feel what it means to be a human in today’s world. In this gathering, we revisit recent world history from five continents, told by millennials who witnessed it first hand as children. An absurd war, an industrial tragedy, a mobilisation of musicians and two all-encompassing social experiments.

By joining the gathering, you too become a witness to these stories. After each scene, all guests are invited to share their thoughts. These live reactions are the deciding factor in how each gathering unfolds. No performance will ever be the same.  

All voices combined form one testimony of global power dynamics. Forces that disrupt even the most sincere bonds between humans, leaving people torn between deep love and great fear. During Nothing Bigger Than Humanity, we break free from that impossible state of being by relating once more to the humanity we all share.

The performance is carried by continuous live music by Sarah Jeffery (recorders & voice), Yung Tuan Ku (vibraphone & percussion) and Andrea Voets (harp & electronics).

About Resonate Productions
Resonate Productions combines in-depth, social journalism with many layers of music, into performance, podcasts and articles. The podcast Millennial History was listed in ‘best podcasts of 2022’ by Avery Trufelman. The performance FOR REAL, a theatrical radio-show on what it means to matter, makes its New York debut at Next Wave Festival ‘25 at BAM. Artistic director Andrea Voets is a Fast Forward-recipient, ISPA-fellow and writes for De Groene Amsterdammer.

Credits
Artistic direction: Andrea Voets
Research, interviews, edit: Andrea Voets
Musicians/composers/hosts: Yung Tuan Ku (percussion), Andrea Voets (harp, electronics), Sarah Jeffery (recorders, voice, electronics)
Outside-eye: Burkhard Körner
Light design: Vinny Jones
Dramaturgy: Anastasis Sarakatsanos, Burkhard Körner, Andrea Voets
Sound engineer: Hayden Hook
Light engineer: Bea Verbeek or Simon Kelaita
Technical coordinator: Simon Kelaita
Business director: Dodó Kis
Production: Danai Belosinof
Communications: Zsarà Grünfeld & Stefanie Lamers

Funded by: Fonds Podiumkunsten, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst
In partnership with: De Balie, O., Splendor, Theater De Roode Bioscoop, CC Amstel

Nothing Bigger Than Humanity

Adam

Maggie

Christie

Eric

Anna

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Wat als het einde in zicht is? In haar boek Het leven loslaten geeft palliatieve zorgverlener Cathelijne Verboeket-Crul een inkijkje in de aanloop naar de dood. We gaan met Verboeket-Crul en diverse experts in gesprek over de laatste levensfase.

Het einde van je leven is iets waar de meeste mensen liever niet over nadenken en vaak ook weinig kennis over hebben. Samen met Verboeket-Crul kijken wij naar hoe het levenseinde eruit kan zien en verkennen we de maakbaarheid van die periode. In de huidige samenleving wil men het heft in eigen handen nemen. Maar laat de dood zich regisseren?

🎨 Cultural

Als de dood dichtbij is

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De Balie is The Netherlands’ foremost venue for contemporary arts, politics and culture. We produce our programmes often in Dutch, but we also have plenty to offer to non-Dutch speaking visitors, for example our film screenings and lectures by foreign guests in our series De Balie Icons. On this page you’ll find our English programme and information about our café-restaurant and venue rental.

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Als de dood dichtbij is