Art & Zoo

Ended

Anyone who enters the centre of Amersfoort will be surprised by an alienating scene. From 3 July, a giant polar bear will unabashedly empty its bladder into the canal from the quay near Museum Flehite. This 'Pissing Polar Bear' is the latest work by Florentijn Hofman, known for, among other things, the rubber ducks bobbing over seas worldwide. The giant sculpture is part of the family exhibition Art & Zoo. This can be seen from 8 July to 19 November to celebrate DierenPark Amersfoort's 75th anniversary.

Asocial
With this sculpture, Hofman puts an end to the cuddly image of this powerful and brutal animal. This brutality matches perfectly with the subject around which the artwork ultimately revolves, namely global warming. The ice is melting, the polar bear's habitat is getting smaller and smaller. This polar bear has left its natural habitat and stepped ashore on the quay of Museum Flehite in Amersfoort by the sea. The beast is behaving as anti-socially in the human world as humans treat animals' habitats.

Art & Zoo
Art & Zoo is a family exhibition about man's fascination with animals. Funny, touching and poignant stories from employees and visitors of DierenPark Amersfoort show how man's view of animals has changed over the past 75 years. Their love and respect for nature is shared by the exhibiting artists. They explore the current fragile balance between humans and animals.

At first glance, for instance, the installation by artist duo A+B resembles the classic Wunderkammers, which were popular in the 16th to 18th centuries. But if you look closely, you will see that this wonder cabinet is full of plastic animals collected over the past 10 years. The work is about conservation and sustainability, but also the carelessness with which we treat nature. Idiots' colourful butterflies are folded into paper aeroplanes. Together with the disposable gesture you make when you see such an aeroplane, this raises all kinds of questions and associations.

The Art & Zoo exhibition also features work by Peter Vos, Adriana van Zoest, Mattijn Franssen, Marjan Jaspers, Emile van der Kruk, Leontine Sies, Anna Skubisz, Wendela van Lynden and others. Loans come from DierenPark Amersfoort, Eye Filmmuseum and private collections.

Fun for young and old
The Art & Zoo exhibition is fun for young and old. Extra children's activities are organised during the exhibition. A Look-and-DoBooklet is always available at reception. In Depot Junior, visitors make an exciting animal enclosure with clay and twigs or draw a badger or other animal as accurately as possible! During the holidays, there are creative workshops with artists.

View the activities here

Party all over Amersfoort
Because of the festive anniversary of DierenPark Amersfoort, fun activities will be organised in the Amersfoort museums and throughout the city. 

The whole programme in Amersfoort

The Art & Zoo exhibition was made possible by contributions from the Municipality of Amersfoort and the K.F. Hein Fund.