Meervaart Studio
Museum Night ’26: Foam x Meervaart
When photography and dance meet
What happens when photography comes alive through movement? During Amsterdam Museum Night on 7 November, Meervaart Studio and Foam joined forces for a special collaboration. Three Dans Lab alumni presented pop-up performances inspired by the exhibitions at Foam. Among the artworks, photography, dance and personal stories came together. It was a special evening, with no fewer than 5,000 visitors experiencing Museum Night at Foam.
At unexpected moments, three artists from Meervaart Studio appeared among the exhibitions: Kaylana Indriana Ernst, Dieke de Jong and Senne Reus. Each developed a performance of their own, inspired by the work of a photographer and the themes of that photographer’s exhibition.
The collaboration brought together two different art forms. While photography tells stories through still images, the dancers explored how these stories could continue to live through movement. Drawing on their own backgrounds, body language and artistic signatures, they entered into dialogue with the images and spaces of Foam.
For Kaylana Indriana Ernst, a dancer, maker and performer with Indonesian roots, the exhibition Hometown by photographer Hailun Ma provided the starting point. The exhibition centres on the meaning of home: how identity, family, youth culture and the place you come from shape us. Drawing on her own background and movement practice, Kaylana translated these themes into movement. She explored how identity can be not only seen in photography, but also felt through dance.
Dieke de Jong was also inspired by the stories behind the photography. As a dancer, choreographer and dramaturg, she works with street and club dance styles such as electro, house and hip-hop. The work of photographer Myriam Boulos inspired her performance. Her photography depicts everyday life in Beirut and tells stories of intimacy, solidarity and the body as a political terrain, amid crisis and conflict. Drawing on her own movement practice, Dieke explored the tension between desires and fears, and how personal stories and social themes come together in movement.
Senne Reus, a freelance performer and teacher, entered into a dialogue with The Edge of Things, the exhibition by photographer Nadav Kander. The exhibition explores the boundaries of what is visible: between light and shadow, presence and disappearance, the personal and the universal. The images invite visitors to slow down and reflect on vulnerability and transience. Drawing on his physical and artistic vocabulary, Senne explored how silence, shadow and the space between images can also be felt through movement.
Experiencing art from a different perspective
Visitors were surprised by dance among the photographs at unexpected moments. This gave the themes of the exhibitions an extra dimension and created space for new interpretations.
Each of the three artists brought their own perspective. From identity and cultural background to social divisions, vulnerability and personal stories, the performances showed how art can be both universal and deeply personal.
A special collaboration with room for emerging talent
For Meervaart Studio, collaborating with Foam was a wonderful opportunity to present the work of Dans Lab alumni to a new and wider audience. It gave the artists the space to experiment outside the traditional context, forge new connections and further develop their artistic practice.
With 5,000 visitors at Foam during Museum Night, it became an evening filled with encounters between art, audiences and artists. The collaboration showed what can emerge when different disciplines reinforce one another and young artists are given the space to explore new forms.
Cover photos: photographers Hailun Ma, Myriam Boulos & Nadav Kander (photographers’ property)