Lustwarande's 25th Jubilee Edition Confronts Nature, Technology, and Human Ingenuity in Tilburg's Baroque Park
The 25th anniversary edition of Lustwarande, titled 'Material Worlds,' opened in June 2026 in the Oude Warande, a baroque star-shaped forest park in Tilburg, Netherlands. The exhibition features 19 international artists responding to themes of materiality, technology, and humanity's relationship with nature. A key work is Ugo Rondinone's 'White Blue Monk' (2021), placed in a clearing where a beech grove drowned due to extreme rainfall in early 2024 and subsequent municipal neglect. Other artists include Su Melo with ceramic 'Tree Huggers,' Chloé Royer with metal bondage rings around trees, zero-waste artist Jan Eric Visser using recycled plastic, and Bosco Sodi with impossibly large ceramic blocks. The exhibition runs from June to October 2026, and the park also features Callum Morton's mirrored pavilion 'Grotto' for refreshments.
Key facts
- Lustwarande celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026.
- The exhibition is titled 'Material Worlds'.
- It takes place in the Oude Warande, a baroque star forest built between 1712 and 1715.
- Extreme rainfall in early 2024 caused a beech grove to drown; the municipality failed to drain it.
- Ugo Rondinone contributed 'White Blue Monk' (2021), a two-rock sculpture placed in the dead grove.
- Su Melo's 'Tree Huggers' are ceramic caps inviting visitors to hug trees.
- Jan Eric Visser is a zero-waste artist using only recycled materials.
- Bosco Sodi created large ceramic blocks that defy physics by surviving kiln firing.
- Other artists include Nicole Eisenman, Meri Karapetyan, Katleen Vinck, Phyllida Barlow, Patricia Ayres, and Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia.
- The park includes Callum Morton's pavilion 'Grotto' for coffee and lunch.
Entities
Artists
- Ugo Rondinone
- Su Melo
- Chloé Royer
- Jan Eric Visser
- Bosco Sodi
- Nicole Eisenman
- Meri Karapetyan
- Katleen Vinck
- Phyllida Barlow
- Patricia Ayres
- Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia
- Callum Morton
- Berlinde De Bruyckere
- Franz West
- Anish Kapoor
Institutions
- Lustwarande
- Museumtijdschrift
- Tilburg University
Locations
- Tilburg
- Netherlands
- Oude Warande
- Tilburg University campus