After 25 years together we finally sealed the deal. I’m lucky to have found such a generous man who always supports me and put up with my craziness. My endless love Nick @oomnick , I’m proud to be by your side and continue rocking this world now as Mrs. Kailola-Simons 💕🥂
Big thanks to my bestest sister @jessicassimonsenholm for making this an unforgettable day, to my fellow fox @nadias_gram for making us look so good and for the amazing cake. To @millamariaeden and Peter for getting us all tipsy and happy. to the three most beautiful flower teens, you know who you are. To @rauhalaphoto for the amazing collodion wedding photo. And to all my Finnish family and friends for parting with us and the dutchies supporting online. I’m still on a high of this best day in my life ! 🙏❤️
A sneak preview of my ongoing research project ‘Batu Bicara - The talking stone’ that examines Moluccan-Dutch colonial history through layered storytelling. It weaves together legends and antiheroes, clashing histories and alternative realities. Drawing from the 16th-century myths of Seilale village on Ambon and dominant Dutch narratives, the project blends digital and analogue photography, video, 3D scans, drone footage, vlog clips from a 13-year-old, archival material, oral histories and official documents, some signed in blood.
We meet old aunt Ietje Kailola, who bitterly reflects on the “temporary stay” that brought her to the cold flatlands , now stretching into its 74th year. Her late brother, Wim, who integrated seamlessly in the new country, never visited and rarely talked about his homeland. His granddaughter Cat, born in Rotterdam, and like most 13-years-olds, is more interested in her phone and friends than untold stories from the past. Together- they travel back to Ambon in search of lost traces and to discover new legends.
Batu Bicara (the talking stone) is a meeting ground. A place of connection and guidance from the ancestors. A place where stories are shared, decisions are made and futures take shape.
Thanks to radja George Kailola for connecting us to the family legends and history of Seilale. Ietje Kailola for sharing your story and archive, @lorenzia_sanjayafpv@michael.botol for the great drone footage and of course my lovely daughter and future husband to be @oomnick .
It might seem unexpected that I, a Finn, would begin a project about the Molukkan community. But life — and love — led me here.
With the support of TAIKE (Arts Promotion Centre Finland), I’m starting a visual and personal research journey that follows my daughter’s family story — from the arrival of KNIL soldiers in the Netherlands in 1951, to memories that stretch back to Ambon and the village of Seilale.
Through photos, film, 3D scanning, conversations, and archival digging and other methods, I hope to open up a space where silenced stories and lived experiences can connect across generations.
Only two generations ago, our parents and grandparents lived through a world war. Today, we find ourselves once again facing instability and division on a global scale. Our children grow up under immense pressure — yet with the freedom to scroll away from it all. That freedom is a privilege built on histories they rarely hear. I believe it’s crucial, especially now, to revisit those histories — not to burden the next generation, but to help them recognize systems of power, racism, and the traces of colonialism. To keep the past from repeating.
Thank you to TAIKE for believing in this process. I’ll share more as it unfolds. 🌿
Proud to be part of this first exhibition of our collective SAAC Amsterdam at Museum Het Nieuwe Domein where 16 of the members show their work.
In 2021, Jan Hoek initiated SAAC, which consists of starting and experienced artists, including painters, filmmakers, illustrators, performers, writers and photographers. The members of the collective are all creating work around sexual abuse.
The work of many members of the collective was already connected to sexual abuse and power dynamics before they joined the group. For others, joining SAAC provided new insights about the deep interconnectedness of this experience with their lives in society. They experienced a growing awareness about how impactful sexual abuse can be in shaping one’s ‘doings’ and worldview.
Through art, SAAC gives a voice to the complexity of abuse experiences and makes societal stigma and shame around it visible and discussable.
More than just an art collective, SAAC is a community that understands the impact of sexual abuse and supports the ongoing process of healing. While the collective is not a therapy group, the environment it provides can be very healing. The shared experiences create a safe space for individuals to express themselves and their feelings without judgement. The group allows members to connect with others who have had similar experiences and offers a sense of understanding and connection that can be hard to find elsewhere.
As a visitor, a presentation of diverse work awaits you that can be confronting but also carries a certain lightness. In doing so, the exhibition reflects the character of the collective: diverse, warm, chaotic, open and understanding. Each member has their own story and lives in their own world, yet is connected to the collective.
Participating artists: Josefina Di Cesare, FBVG, Mieke Hessels, Jan Hoek, Valentijn Hoogenkamp, Levi Jacobs, Ankie van Kasteren, L., Ted van Lieshout, Sanna Martha, Alma Mathijsen, Mandy Nijhof, Ronald Ophuis, Papa Oyeyemi, Frederique Pisuisse and Rebecca Simons.
Photos among other: Jonathan Wideershoven
Het Nieuwe Domein biedt tijdens de tentoonstelling 𝘐 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘜 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘰 𝘔𝘦, 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘐𝘯 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘰 een reeks unieke workshops aan, verzorgd door kunstenaars uit het Sexually Abused Artists Collective (SAAC) Amsterdam (@saac.amsterdam ). Doe mee aan een van de volgende workshops en ervaar hoe persoonlijke gebeurtenissen verwerkt kunnen worden in kunst:
𝟏𝟔 𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐭
🎨 Levi Jacobs | Mixed media workshop
Onderzoek beeldend hoe een gebeurtenis uit het verleden jou in het heden gevormd heeft. Neem een foto of voorwerp mee ter inspiratie.
𝟑𝟎 𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐭
✂️ Rebecca Simons | Collage workshop
Experimenteer met creatieve collage en persoonlijk archiefmateriaal. Breng een foto mee die een belangrijke persoon of plaats vertegenwoordigt.
𝟏𝟑 𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥
🖋️ Alma Mathijsen | Schrijf en teken workshop
Leer herinneringen op papier te zetten en kleine tekeningen te maken die je verhaal tot leven brengen.
𝟏𝟏 𝐦𝐞𝐢
🖌️ Valentijn Hoogenkamp | Workshop beelddichten
Combineer taal en beeld tot een beeldgedicht. Gebruik verf, potlood en inkt om je ervaring uit te drukken.
Boek nu je workshop via #linkinbio
I find workshops during exhibitions one of the most rewarding things. When the space is no longer just a show to watch but a shared space to explore and co-create in.
During the Past Uncovered exhibition in Helsinki we set up two workshops on self-compassion using photography and collage as tools for revisiting and creating preferred narratives about oneself.
The workshops are set up with my fellow artist @aijasvensson and crisis worker @mrlehtinen . With thanks to @konstsamfundet and @fondensverigefinland for making the exhibition and workshops possible. And of course our host @hippolytegallery !
The second workshop is coming up 2 March and we still have 3 spots left. See bio for link and info.
My newest addition of the ongoing work’Encased memories’ - where I revisit of the family album, scrutinizing (un)wanted memories and familial connections. Here together in an installation with my brand new video ‘farewell from Gloskär’ a goodbye letter to a father.
The work is on show at @hippolytegallery as part of the exhibition Past Uncovered. Full video with English subtitles now also on my website.
/art-work/farwell-from-gloskar-2025
Four years ago we got in touch the first time, and for last year I had the pleasure to work with her for the exhibition at Hippolyte. After endless amount of emails, whatsapp messages and video calls that year we had 3 days to make our remote plans reality - and the result is better than I ever could dream of.
I’ve learned so much from Rebecca, she has (gently) kicked my ass to try my limits. I’m forever thankful for the opportunity, and most of all the friendship that I hope will last forever 🦋💕
Go see our exhibition at Hippolyte if you’re in the neighborhood, it’s up until 2/3/2025.
Love and take care of yourself and the people around you 💕
A quick walkthrough of our the exhibition Past Uncovered that I just opened with @aijasvensson . I’m so happy about how it turned out and thankful of all the help we got building it up. Come see it if you are in Helsinki between 7 Feb- 2 Mar 2025.
About the exhibition:
Past Uncovered is an exhibition with both artistic and social goals. The project aims to spark conversations about domestic violence and its consequences.Past Uncovered is a dialogue between the works of Rebecca Simons and Aija Svensson, shedding light on the complex dynamics of violence in close relationships and its impact on individuals and families.
Simons and Svensson’s works intertwine as two personal, parallel narratives. Letters written by the artists to main characters in their lives serve as a guiding thread in the exhibition. Rebecca’s letter addresses her late grandfather, confronting the sexual abuse he inflicted on her family members. Aija, in turn, responds to a letter she never received—one her mother wrote to her daughters on her deathbed, but which was never found.
The visual works include photographs, video fragments, and archival footage, presented through prints, projections, and screens. In Rebecca’s narrative, viewers encounter survivors and family members through projection portraits and hear their voices reading letters to or from the perpetrator. Aija’s story unfolds through printed photographs—a mosaic of memories that are both revealed and concealed. The exhibition is enhanced by a sound installation, created in collaboration with composer Viljam Nybacka, which weaves their creations into a unified narrative.
The exhibition includes an interactive space that invites visitors to share their own experiences in a living archive of letters. Together with crisis worker and educator Oscar Lehtinen the artists also arrange two workshops that allow visitors to explore their relationship with themselves and reshape their narrative through photography and collage techniques.
—-
Thank you
@aijasvensson , @viljam_nybacka , @mrlehtinen , @hippolytegallery
This process of working together has been so meaningful and enriching ! ❤️
Proud to present our upcoming exhibition ‘Past Uncovered’ at Hippolyte gallery, Helsinki, Finland
7 February - 2 March 2025
Join our opening: 6 Feb 17.00-19.00
‘Past Uncovered’ is a dialogue between the work of @aijasvensson and myself exploring the theme of domestic violence and its impact on individuals and families. It combines photography, video and archival material and an audio installation created in collaboration with @viljam_nybacka .
During the exhibition we also arrange two workshops 8 February and 2 March in collaboration with @mrlehtinen . The workshops are free of costs and open to anyone above 15 years old who wants to explore their selfimage through photography and collage techniques (no artistic background needed or connection to the exhibition theme).
For more info see eventbrite link in profile.
The Past Uncovered exhibition was made possible by @konstsamfundet and @fondensverigefinland
A recent conversation with @theurbanautpodcast about my work.
It’s quite a long listen so here a brake down if you want to listen to parts of it:
Thanks to all collaborative partners also mentioned in the podcast @aimilia_balaska , @electra.karatza , @diana.sundstrom , @viljam_nybacka
OUTLINE:
0:00 - Coming Up…
2:48 - Rebecca’s background and introduction
5:14 - Transition from painting to photography as an interactive medium
7:39 - Multidisciplinary approach and artistic identity
20:17 - Personal storytelling as a tool for healing and dialogue
28:43 - Collaboration within her family and the healing process
33:08 - Using archival material to create layered narratives
42:11 - Immersive installations and their impact on viewers
56:58 - The role of resin in preserving memory and reclaiming narratives
1:13:54 - Rebecca’s involvement with SAAC and collective storytelling
1:21:21 - Thoughts and Advice for Artist and Image Makers
SOCIAL:
* Twitter: /UrbanautPodcast
* Facebook: /TheUrbanautPodcast
* Instagram: /TheUrbanautPodcast
* Support on Patreon: /TheUrbanautPodcast
The Urbanaut Podcast, presented in collaboration with Urbanautica.com. @urbanautica
