Image: Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede
Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede will present ‘Democratie NU?’ from 15 September 2026 to 14 February 2027, in collaboration with the art and technology festival GOGBOT. The exhibition brings together 15 international and national artists to examine democracy at a time when democratic systems are under pressure worldwide. According to the museum, the show looks at how power and systems operate, how images shape perception, and what role individuals play within those structures.
The project is framed as an invitation to move beyond the day-to-day news cycle and polarized debate. Rijksmuseum Twenthe says the exhibition asks basic but urgent questions: what democracy means, who holds influence, why liberal Western democracy appears to no longer function as it should, and what kind of society people want to build together. The museum presents the show as one aimed at both regular museumgoers and visitors who may not often go to museums.
Several artists are highlighted in the museum’s exhibition text. Jonas Staal is cited for work that shows how propaganda can manipulate not only opinions but also create entire new realities. Carlijn Kingma will present detailed maps that make visible the hidden structures of society and suggest new ways of living together. Peter Zegveld’s installations are described as exploring how seductive and dangerous mass behavior and leadership can be, while Johannes Büttner’s video ‘L’État c’est moi’ is said to consider what kind of society may emerge when people turn away from democracy.
The exhibition also includes work by Martha Colburn and Ursula Biemann, among others. Rijksmuseum Twenthe does not specify individual works for all of the participating artists in the material provided, but it places the presentation within a broader attempt to make visible the stories societies tell about democracy and the ways those stories change. The museum says the artists reveal what is often unseen in public life: the mechanisms behind leadership, propaganda and social systems.
Founded in Enschede, Rijksmuseum Twenthe is using the collaboration with GOGBOT to connect contemporary art with questions of politics and civic life. The institution’s own materials position ‘Democratie NU?’ as part of a public programme rather than a stand-alone display, and note cooperation with Bibliotheek Enschede, Pakhuis Oost and the University of Twente. The museum also says the exhibition is supported by Cultuurfonds Overijssel, the Mondriaan Fund and Vfonds.
The exhibition opens after the museum’s presentation of ‘Pekka Halonen. Een ode aan Finland’, which runs until 16 August 2026. For ‘Democratie NU?’, the museum has listed its venue at Lasondersingel 129 in Enschede, with opening hours Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.
