Eight artists were invited for the ‘In Verbelinge, art based on stories in Stellingwerfs’ event in 1999. Ooststellingwerf is a thinly populated area in South-West Friesland. The landscape there is determined by old peat moors, sand drifts and the basins of the rivers Kuunder (Tjonger) and Linde. The area has an interesting history and its own, unique language. The siege by the Stellingwervers of the Bishop of Utrecht’s castle at Vollenhove in 1309 and, later, the social struggle led by Domela Nieuwenhuis in Appelscha are part of local history.
The language, Stellingwerfs, is a variant of Low Saxon and is recognised by the European Union as a dialect. The invited artists were asked to seek inspiration in the region and its typical characteristics and to add their own stories to the already existing ones. The event included works by Job Koelewijn, Groenewoud/Buij, Atte Jongstra, Sjaak Langenberg, Carlo Mistiaen, Allen Ruppersberg and Georgina Starr.

Various artists
In Verbelinge

‘A filmic view of Ooststellingwerf' by Job Koelewijn (photo: Ton Aartsen)

‘A filmic view of Ooststellingwerf' by Job Koelewijn (photo: Ton Aartsen)

‘Fed up’ by Gerard Groenewoud / Tilly Buy (photo: Ton Aartsen)

‘A Border Monument for Language’ by Atte Jongstra (photo: Ton Aartsen)

‘The Honey Thinker’ by Carlo Mistiaen (photo: Ton Aartsen)

‘The Footnote’ by Sjaak Langenberg (photo: Ton Aartsen)

‘The Unknown Image’ by Allen Ruppersberg (photo: Ton Aartsen)

'Popping up in Ooststellingwerf' by Georgina Starr (photo: Ton Aartsen)