To mark the fifth anniversary of Lydia Wierenga’s art space OFF HOOK, the anniversary exhibition WOODY will open on Saturday 29 August at 5 pm, featuring work by all the artists who have held a solo exhibition there to date. A conversation about the origins of the art space, her curatorial approach and her plans for the future.
Lydia, congratulations on OFF HOOK’s fifth anniversary – what a wonderful milestone! For those who don’t know you yet: who are you and what’s your background?
Thank you! I’m a visual artist and opened this art space five years ago to organise exhibitions together with other artists.
I’m originally from Groningen (Uithuizen). As I wanted to see more of the world, I went to art college in Kampen, mainly because they had a lovely printmaking studio there. After a lot of wandering, I eventually came back to Groningen. I noticed that a lot of galleries had closed down, which I thought was a real shame. K09 used to be here; they focused on abstract and minimalist work, but that was no longer the case.
The Black Mural project came about in 2019. Could you tell us a bit about it?
I mainly create abstract paintings and murals, and in 2019 I was working on preparations for a solo exhibition at PS Projectspace in Amsterdam. I spotted a black A4 sheet lying on the floor of my studio and thought: hey, could that be a mural too? I placed it in the corner of a window, and that’s how my first black A4 mural came about. It wasn’t until three or four months later that I thought: what a beautiful thing that is! I painted it in another corner of my flat and thought: now it’s a series, and it needs to expand.
From 1 January 2020, I set off across the Netherlands to paint a black A4-sized mural in people’s homes. Together, we walked around the house or business with the folded A4 sheet to decide where it should go; I then sketched it in a corner and painted it black. One side is a black square in the style of Malevich, and the rest wraps round the corner. The work plays heavily on perspective, light and shadow, and the surrounding space is of great importance. It is a mural that you come across in many places and for which there is still demand.
After a year of painting black A4 sheets in people’s homes and a presentation of the accompanying publication at Murals Inc in Rotterdam, I wanted to take the project further.
When the coronavirus outbreak began, the project took on even greater significance.
That became A6 Murals Worldwide. Via Instagram, I approached artists at home and abroad, asking if they would be willing to paint such a black panel – this time in A6 format, the size of a postcard – in their own studio or home. When the coronavirus outbreak began in March and everyone was in lockdown, the project took on even greater significance. More than 200 artists from all corners of the globe took part. A few years later, the black panel that wraps round the corner also became the logo for my art space.
That project marked the beginning of the art space. How did that translate into OFF HOOK?
Through those projects, I was in constant contact with artists. We sent each other post, collages and cards. Artworks were swapped and letters sent. I discovered so many brilliant artists on Instagram and thought: I’d love to show that work in real life! I went looking around town for a shop window or an affordable space, but through a friend I heard that this space on Bloemsingel, in the old chemistry building, was becoming available.
There were a number of applicants and everyone had to present a proposal. The committee at Het Paleis wanted the space to be open to the public and for the social and lively atmosphere to be preserved. I was selected and subsequently tailored the space entirely to my own vision.
This is a typical white cube. For some people, such a stark space can be quite intimidating. What do you do to lower that threshold?
I used to feel the same way about galleries myself. As a student in Kampen, I’d often go with a friend to galleries in Amsterdam or Rotterdam, but I always felt that sense of apprehension about stepping into such a cold space where someone would be sitting very seriously behind a desk and barely look at you. That’s changed now, though. And people who come in here quickly realise that the atmosphere is open and friendly; I often have a cup of coffee with visitors, and if people are peering in through the window, I step outside to ask if they’d like to have a look inside. Ultimately, the white walls are there to give the artwork your full attention, without any distractions. But if an artist wants the wall to be orange because it makes the artwork stand out better, I’m happy to help.
Do you curate all the exhibitions yourself, and how do you select the artists?
Yes, I curate everything myself. There aren’t any set criteria; I rely very much on my gut feeling. I come across so many artists whose work I love. Andreas Exner from Germany, for example, with his car windows. I’d already fallen in love with his work online, but at first I hardly dared to approach him. Two years later, he actually came here to exhibit!
What I want to offer artists is time and space: time to set up the exhibition and the space to do what they want. Because I’ve done a lot of screen printing myself, for every exhibition we produce an A4-sized screen print in an edition of 30. Together with the artist, I drive to Mara Piccione’s screen-printing studio in Warffum to make the print. The artist receives five copies, and the proceeds from the sale of the remaining copies help keep OFF HOOK running. They are on sale for 100 euros, which I also like: that way, anyone can buy a work of art for a modest price.
How does OFF HOOK fit into the wider art scene in Groningen?
There are some great initiatives, such as KEL-30, amongst others; that’s brilliant – bring it on, there’s plenty of room for more! In Groningen, I want to showcase not only local artists but also those from the Randstad, Belgium or Germany. OFF HOOK focuses primarily on artists who work with abstraction, something you hardly ever see here. This doesn’t have to be purely formal; it can also be playful. Dolf Verlinden and Karina Puuffin are artists who live in this area and with whom I’ve put together some wonderful exhibitions.
Jan Willem Deiman also dropped in here when he moved from Utrecht to Drenthe, and because someone had to cancel an exhibition due to personal circumstances, he was soon able to hold an exhibition here. As well as its permanent exhibitions, OFF HOOK also provides a space for small-scale performances and presentations. Andre Dekker from Observatorium in Rotterdam held weekend presentations here, and Klaske Oenema presented her collage art using an overhead projector whilst singing. I met Sverre van der Velde here at art college and thought his video work was brilliant, but there was a lot of static at his final show. At OFF HOOK, we opened our doors for four days to give his work plenty of space, and this attracted a huge number of visitors. Artists such as Jan van der Ploeg, Melle de Boer and Jaap Kroneman had also been on display, and that interplay between young and old, the well-known and the unknown, makes it a real meeting place. I deliberately refer to OFF HOOK as an art space rather than a gallery, because I am an artist myself, alongside the other artists
The WOODY retrospective exhibition opens on 29 August. Where does that name come from?
Artist and friend Tim Cierpiszewski from Germany asked if I’d thought of a title yet. I then found myself wondering what five years actually signifies. You’ve got gold and diamonds, but five years is wood! So I thought: Wood, Woody, Woody … WOODY! I think it’s a lovely name!
What is one memory from the past five years that has really stuck with you?
There are so many! When the artists arrive with their work, it always makes me happy and I can’t wait to unpack it and put it on display. The conversations, the car journeys to Warffum – it’s all very dear to me. Due to personal circumstances, I’ve had a really tough time recently and have had to scale back my work. But art and the artists have played a huge part in helping me get through it. It gives me so much vitality. So this five-year anniversary means even more to me: OFF HOOK is still here!
What are the plans for the future?
I want to give more prominence to the weekend programme ‘A Little Something On The Side’, which features presentations, poetry or music. I also want to raise the profile of OFF HOOK in Groningen itself. Last year, I was invited by Francis Boeske to take part in the KunstRAI in Amsterdam, where, for the first time in a long while, there were a few art spaces and project spaces on display. A lovely article was published in Het Parool, and this year, OFF HOOK is taking part in Art Noord at the Museum Belvédère in Oranjewoud for the first time.
If absolutely anything were possible: what would be your ultimate dream project or collaboration for OFF HOOK?
I’d really love to organise exhibitions in larger museums, including abroad. I’d also like to interview artists and other creative people; I enjoy having conversations about life, the big and small things. And of course, I mustn’t forget my own work. Through OFF HOOK and the artists, I receive wonderful invitations to take part in exhibitions, and so over the past few years I’ve been to Germany a number of times for a mural or an exhibition. And of course I dream of making a lot of money from it and everyone buying loads of art. That would be brilliant!
The WOODY anniversary exhibition opens on Saturday 29 August at 5.00 p.m. at OFF HOOK (Bloemsingel 200). Everyone is welcome. The exhibition will then run until 24 October 2026.
✍️ Text: Jente Westerhof
📸 Photos in and around OFF HOOK: Siese Veenstra