Friday and Saturday 12–24h
Sunday 12–22h
Art is our first language. Throughout the year, Het HEM presents a range of temporary art programmes as well as more permanent art installations.
May 7 – 25
There is always music to listen to at Het HEM, with programmes focused on experimental ways to create, present and experience music in the building through listening sessions, live shows, and musical artis-in-residence initiatives.
Come by for a drink and a bite, wine and dine at one of our restaurants Zanini, Bois or get a sandwich at Bakery Solinger,. With good wether we suggest you settle down on our sunny terrace on the Costa del Zaano.
Het HEM loves books. During your visit, come lose yourself in the library's rich selection or discover new favourites in the SANZ Shop.
Situated in a former munitions factory, Het HEM is a new home for contemporary culture.
The building's industrial design and our experimental art programme bring ambience and meaning to every event.
Ancient Alligator Swimming from the Sea to the River (2019–21)
Geology Island (2021)
Ancient Alligator Swimming from the Sea to the River, 2019–21
200 x 260 cm, oil on canvas(2 panels)
Geology Island, 2021
170 x 200 cm, oil on canvas
In the paintings of Bram Demunter, one seems to have reached a paradise-like archipelago. The islands, surrounded by swirling masses of water, are populated by frivolous human figures, proud birds of paradise, athletic greyhounds, sleeping cows, bathing ducks and a multitude of lush plants. They seem to blend into a carefree synthesis, without a dominant structure or a prominent narrative imposing itself. All things exist alongside each other and are connected to each other.
For his work, the artist draws inspiration from, among other things, epical stories from the distant past, such as the stories of Gilgamesh, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and The Adventures of Jason and the Argonautes, adventurous tales full of wild landscapes, interwoven with philosophical wisdom. In addition, he spends many hours in nature himself, where he marvels at the abundance and complexity of organisms.
His paintings are an attempt, amidst the chaos, to arrive at the essence of that landscape – of the mountain, of the sea and the island. Without reducing it or directing a story. The analogue wildernesses of Demunter enter into conversation with the generic algorithmic images of Ian Cheng further in the exhibition, which show a post-Anthropocene environment in which humans populate the landscape together with other beings, but no longer dominate it.