WASSENAAR.- To brave the storm, one must step into its eye – returning to the core, the place where silence reigns and clarity emerges. This is precisely what the new Voorlinden collection exhibition Stillness in the storm offers: a moment of reflection in a whirling world. In the exhibition, artists such as Anish Kapoor, Marina Abramović, Massimo Bartolini, and Arturo Hernández Alcázar demonstrate that silence can be a source of strength – a gentle, steadfast response to the storms that surround us. The exhibition is on display from 15 November 2025.

‘ ‘In a world of constant distraction, taking the time to connect to ourselves and to others is becoming a challenge’, says Marina Abramović. The performance artist has therefore created Counting the Rice, a work included in Voorlinden’s new collection exhibition. Visitors are invited to spend an hour counting grains of rice and lentils while wearing noise-cancelling headphones. According to Abramović, this practice cultivates endurance, concentration, perception, self-control, and willpower. It is an exercise in silence, taking place in the middle of the museum, surrounded by others, yet entirely focused on oneself. The work embodies the essence of Stillness in the storm: in turbulent times, silence and attention make us more resilient.

Suzanne Swarts, director Voorlinden: 'Press pause on the world and look attentively at what is happening around you and within yourself. It is precisely there that your strength grows. This exhibition is an invitation to slow down, listen, and feel what truly matters.’

A Curated Route

With a careful selection from its own collection, Voorlinden charts a route in Stillness in the storm that fosters deeper connections: with oneself, with others, and with what is truly valuable. The exhibition begins with Arturo Hernández Alcázar’s installation Black Kites (Bird of Ill Omen) (2010–2012), in which a swarm of ominous black kites is frozen in mid-air. At their feet lie fragments of the past, while further on, the piano keys of Suchan Kinoshita’s Das Fragment an Sich (1994–2015) appear as the remnants of a storm. Pulsating life is never far away; Massimo Bartolini’s Conveyance (2024), a water basin in which a wave is continually pumped like a heartbeat, provides a hypnotic prompt for meditation.

A ‘pregnant’ wall at Voorlinden

Before Philip Vermeulen unleashes the storm with his kinetic composition 10 Meters of Sound (2014–2025), visitors to the new collection exhibition encounter Anish Kapoor’s expectant, ‘pregnant’ wall Pregnant White Within Me (2022) and a dreamlike installation by the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset; in L’Addition (2025), they explore the silence of a solitary walker in an endless snowy landscape. Stillness in the storm also presents works by Arcangelo Sassolino, Olafur Eliasson, Lee Bae, and Josiah McElheny. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition, featuring contributions from the Korean-German philosopher and writer Byung-Chul Han, the Flemish culture journalist and silence expert Virginie Platteau, and work by Peter Verhelst.

Barbara Bos, head of exhibitions: ‘Stillness creates space. Space for attention, for new ideas, to feel what is truly happening. Artists embrace silence precisely because it sharpens the senses, slows down thought processes, and allows new images and meanings to emerge. Experiencing and embracing that silence together has something magical.'