Residency by Tommy Smits at Landpark Assisië

'VRUUGER (des ok al lang geleje)' - Residency by Tommy Smits at Landpark Assisië

At the initiative of Wobby, artist Tommy Smits spent the summer and fall of 2023 in residence at the creative daytime activities at Landpark Assisië in Biezenmortel. In 2023, care organisation Prisma opened its new, well-equipped facilities there: a ceramics studio, a painting and drawing atelier, and a wood workshop amongst others. Prisma's main question was how to make their programme more contemporary and entrepreneurial. With the residence, we were able to give it a first new, artistic boost.

Tommy took residents on a journey through the archives of the 120-year-old care park and asked them what kind of place it actually is. His residence evolved around the concept of 'vruuger' (formerly in dialect), which is the past, but also shapes the present, and may not even be so easy to distinguish from the everyday in our perception. Memories, dreams, and the imagination of time formed the basis for new work by the participants. Using archival materials, existing and new work, Tommy curated a final exhibition in the former Franciscus Chapel at Landpark Assisië, Biezenmortel.

About the artist

Tommy Smits is an artist based in The Hague. His work moves between photography, sculpture, and mixed media, focusing on collective memory and archaeology. His interdisciplinary practice centers on photography as both image and object, using sculptural and archaeological strategies to question memory, ownership, and preservation. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) and has exhibited his work at institutions such as the Valkhof Museum [Nijmegen], Museum De Pont [Tilburg], Les Rencontres d’Arles [Arles], Material Art [Mexico City], Centraal Museum [Utrecht], Unseen [Amsterdam], and NADA [New York]. 

About Landpark Assisië & De Sam

Landpark Assisië in Biezenmortel is a residential care facility where Prisma provides support to people with intellectual disabilities. De Sam is a dedicated unit within the park that offers residents opportunities to engage in creative activities, including painting, drawing, and crafts. In addition, De Sam operates a shop at Landpark Assisië where these handcrafted creations are for sale. 

Photography : Tommy Smits