My Oma

My Oma is an exhibition project that focuses on the figure of the grandmother. The project explores personal and cultural legacies that emerge from both affection and conflict. It brings together artists and stories, as well as artworks and theory that articulate central issues of our time: experiences of immigration, dissonant heritage and changing gender roles.

My Oma pays special attention to embodied knowledge and stories on a small scale. In light of a developing political polarization, My Oma emphasizes historical perspectives, strengthens intergenerational ties and celebrates knowledge preserved by different diasporas. The bilingual title of the project—with the English my and the Dutch oma—is intended to convey this personal approach. As such, we approach grandmothers as a multifaceted protagonist imbued with decisiveness and at the same time the subject of social projections. The figure of the grandmother therefore enables different perspectives on histories, traditions and origins. It also welcomes the reconsideration of gender and age-related provisions surrounding cultural and material legacies.