Beppe Kessler at Holy Shit - Art on a changing landscape

Artist list

Jeroen Jongeleen, Beppe Kessler, Milah van Zuilen

The effects of acidification and desiccation caused by nitrogen deposition are increasingly evident in the landscape, including in the Veluwe region. Social responses to this ecological crisis vary widely; from farmers' protests to lawsuits targeting the fossil fuel industry. In Holy Shit, three artists engage with this complex issue through their individual disciplines and artistic approaches.

With Holy Shit, we aim to bring the ecological crisis close to home, quite literally. These artists demonstrate that nitrogen is not just an abstract issue; it is something that fundamentally transforms our landscape and living environment. Art offers space for reflection, and the potential for new perspectives.
/ Curator Rianne Groen


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Beppe Kessler
In her jewellery series Holy Shit Beppe Kessler (1952) combines rabbit droppings – a symbol of organic waste – with pearls. Though seemingly unrelated, both materials are natural by-products, formed through distinct but equally organic processes. Inspired by images of farmers angrily spreading manure on motorways, Kessler was compelled to do something with manure. Her work raises questions about value, impermanence, and the cycles of nature.

Milah van Zuilen
Milah van Zuilen (1998), both an artist and a trainee forest ecologist, connects her practice with fieldwork and walks through damaged sand drift areas. She reconfigures the natural materials collected during these walks into geometric compositions. For this exhibition, Van Zuilen undertook new walks through nitrogen-affected dunes. The resulting works express a profound connection to the landscape, while critically examining how we attempt to understand and control nature.

Jeroen Jongeleen
Jeroen Jongeleen (1967) presents Running in Circles – Nitroglyps, a video triptych in which physical exertion and environmental transformation merge into dramatic, aerially visible patterns. In these works, he runs ultralong distances in circular routes over Veluwe sand dunes, etching temporary ‘desire paths’ into the land. These ephemeral trails highlight the radical traces of human impact on the natural world.


Commission – new mural by Liesbeth Piena in CODA Auditorium
In addition to works by the three contemporary artists, the exhibition includes objects, jewellery, and artworks from the CODA collection that further deepen the central theme. Holy Shit opens on 15 June with special attention given to Bodem (Soil), a newly commissioned wall painting by Liesbeth Piena (1993) for CODA’s auditorium. Piena is fascinated by the forms found in nature. She translates organic and stylised elements into fresh, painterly landscape details, with a strong emphasis on the (graphic) contours and lines of, for instance, plant leaves. Bodem is composed of leaf shapes from trees that are being planted in the Veluwe area to improve soil quality. These include the grey willow, downy birch, hazel, field maple, sessile oak, wild service tree, wild cherry, and aspen. These species, known as rich-litter trees, help counteract soil acidification and extract minerals from the subsoil, which are then returned to the upper soil through fallen leaves; the so-called litter.