Opening, Friday October 21 at 5 pm.

David Pedraza graduated from the Royal Academy in The Hague in 2010 and his work was immediately recognized. Heden acquired some of his paintings and asked Pedraza to work for three months in Yogyakarta (Indonesia) at the Cemeti Art House. The result of this residency will be exhibited for the coming months at Heden.

In his work Pedraza deals intensively with his Catholic upbringing, family and the hedonistic lifestyle of his generation. He works primarily with graphite and oil paint, creating an atmosphere in which the characters and their surroundings are timeless and seem to have lost their authority. The paintings focus on the relationship between both institutions, religion and society and question this relationship.

The idea of ​​Christ and the cross as symbols, are also commonly found in work by Pedraza and have obviously a long art historical tradition. This symbolism is explored again by Pedraza.

Through literary sources and interviews, Pedraza investigated how Catholic faith is experienced in Indonesia.

As a space, it explores the fragility and the silence of creativity by re-visiting two mythological characters that went into shadow worlds, alone, without glory and on the verge of non-being...:  Eurydice and Sita . What these women encountered in that other world and how they responded we will never know. According to the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Eurydice had folded inside herself and had lost all human desire.

As a counter image of this world, Map of the Down Below is a setting of opposites and shadows. It is a smaller ‘city', inhabited by many, akin to these mythological characters. It is a space about people  with our  lives, living at the margins of our contemporary societies...

Traces of this map will be shown at various locations in the city over the course of next two months. It evolved as an opera- installation, and now a physical setting, an on-going installation, developing through viewing and interactions at various locations in the city of The Hague.

(Kosmopolis Den Haag, a cultural organisation that promotes intercultural dialogue in the city, has invited Rakhi Peswani from India, to work and respond to the cultural fabric of The Hague for three months.

Map of Down Below has emerged as a physical setting through a sustained dialogue between Rakhi Peswani and Miranda Lakerveld (Les Autres Musiktheatrre). The performative aspect of the work evolved with collaborations at various levels, with director Miranda Lakerveld, Les Autres Muziektheater, Bharata Natyam dancer Evita Issa, choreograher Aartie Jagmohan, of Madhoerie Dance Company, Soprano Camille Hesketh and Lute player Guzman Ramone)

See also Kosmopolis Den Haag and Haagse India Maand.

The world as a whole, and the connections and movements inside this whole, are the main focus in the work of Esther Kokmeijer. This interest stems from the need to contain, organize and represent the complexity of the world. She is interested in the origins of nature, and how landscapes are shaped and interact with humans. Geographic benchmarks and forces of nature are often the basis of an investigation.

Esther's interest began with the imaginary line, which connects Mount Merapi volcano and the Pacific, with the Kraton of Yogyakarta, as the central connecting point. The work "The More You Take The more I give," is based on both recent and ancient myths that are currently believed and embraced in the everyday lives of people in the area along this imaginary line. Kokmeijer became fascinated by the large role that geology plays in everyday life. "You can really feel how myths are formed by the surrounding landscape. For me, this interaction between nature and man is very valuable, "said Kokmeijer.

Esther Kokmeijer worked in the autumn of 2011 as part of the residency program There Yogyakarta (Indonesia). She let herself inspire by the forces of nature. One of the immediate triggers was the eruption of the Merapi volcano in 2010, which has left deep scars in the Javanese countryside.

With this exhibition a publication will be released. The opening will take place on Friday, March 16th at 17.00 at Heden at the Denneweg 14a.