About rizoom

“The essence of a rhizome is that it has no beginning and no end. It is a whole of links and connections in a kind of structure, but a rhizome can not be controlled centrally.”

Rizoom* is an open and experimental platform for all kinds of artists in the Netherlands. By open, we mean that this platform is open to everyone to apply (via instagram or mail) to show his or her work for a week on Rizoom. The curator decides who is suitable for Rizoom (for example, it is not intended for artists who have already established themselves in the art world, or for companies to promote their products). By experimental we mean that the platform Rizoom itself is an experiment. It is an attempt to create new connections between all kinds of artists and between these artists and their audience(s). It can be seen as a virtual pop up exhibition space, or a digital white cube.

“Originally, a rhizome is a biological term for rhizome, such as bamboo or dandelion. Anyone with a dandelion in his grass knows that he will never lose that because underground all those flowers are connected to the same root. No matter what you pull out, it comes back again and again.”

We want this platform to grow into a “whole of links and connections”. If we see an individual artist as lines, all those individual lines intertwine and comprise an ever growing network of lines, a rhizome. We also want to implement the idea of non-centralized curatorship after a while (if the rhizome has shot enough roots and has grown). That means that we will hand over the management of Rizoom to the artists themselves. In practice this means that every artist who has become part of the rhizome (for convenience we call them “rizomists”) ensures that the rhizome continues to grow.

*rizoom is the Dutch translation of rhizome.

About us

Joris Broekhoven - founder and curator;

Joris Broekhoven studied cultural anthropology at the Utrecht University for two years.

Melanie Mara - curator (on a break from rizoom at the moment);

Melanie Maria is currently studying in the fourth year of the Base for Experiment, Art and Research/Fine Art department and she lives and works in Arnhem, the Netherlands.

Roos Marijn Peperkamp - rizoom podcast

Roos Marijn Peperkamp gratuated at Creative Writing ArtEZ with her EP 'Schemerlicht' (2018).

Tim Visser - rizoom podcast

Tim Visser currently studies Composition and Production at the HKU. He makes music under the pseudonym ‘Koolest Kid in Class’,

Pelumi Adejumo - rizoom podcast

Pelumi Adejumo currently studies Creative Writing at ArtEZ.

Gemma Oosterhof - visual identity (tote bag and animation)

Gemma Oosterhof currently studies Illustration Design at ArtEZ Zwolle.