From impressive art installations and sculptures to paintings and interactive pieces that invite you to listen, feel and experience, DRIFT is a moving and surprising call for reflection.

In DRIFT. Dune to Dogger Bank, 22 contemporary artists unite past, present and future to explore a single, urgent question: what is our relationship to the dune landscape and the North Sea?

For their artworks the artists drew inspiration from the ideals of Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten. In 1881, this artist couple used their famous Panorama of Scheveningen to call attention to the fragility of the coastal landscape and the preservation of the Seinpostduin. DRIFT invites visitors to once again explore the North Sea and dune landscape.

An extensive programme of public events will run concurrent to the exhibition, offering added depth through lectures and expert panels. The full programme will be available on the museum website as of 21th March.

DRIFT. Dune to Dogger Bank is an initiative of Museum Panorama Mesdag, co-curated with the Ambassade van de Noordzee, and in collaboration with Stroom Den Haag, Stichting Doggerland, Stichting Duinbehoud, and Dunea.

Participating artists: Atelier NL (Nadine Sterk & Lonny van Ryswyck), Frank Bloem, Suzette Bousema, Linhuei Chen, Jonat Deelstra, Xandra van der Eijk,  Annemieke Fierinck & Esther Hessing, Sami Hammana & Harpo ‘t Hart, Folkert de Jong, Tim Knol, Daan Koens, Valerie van Leersum, Hendrik Willem Mesdag, Sientje Mesdag-van Houten, MUST (Ziega van den Berk, Sebastian van Berkel, Tea Hadžizulfić & Veerle Simons), Anke Roder, Thijs de Zeeuw and Anne Jesuina (location STROOM).

Some artists explore the color or scent of the water, show the contrast between healthy and damaged reefs, or reveal the surprising versatility of beach sand. Others focus on the consequences of climate change and the vulnerability of coastal areas.

The contemporary artworks are interspersed with 19th-century seascapes and dune landscapes by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and Sientje Mesdag-van Houten. This creates a dialogue between then and now: between the Mesdags, who advocated for nature conservation with their panorama, and today’s artists who reflect on today’s ecological challenges.