This autumn, raam art space will be transformed into a flourishing forest, featuring life-sized charcoal drawings by Anouk Griffioen. Last summer, Griffioen exhibited her monumental drawings at the Kröller-Müller Museum, surrounded by the forest. Now, she presents her work in raam’s glass exhibition space in the heart of the city. Alongside Griffioen’s solo exhibition, raam presents ‘er zijn te weinig boomhutten’ by Tessa Hendriks. Her treehouse adds another perspective to the exhibition’s exploration of nature in the city. Come and wander through raam, and let your thoughts get lost for a moment in Griffioen’s natural world. Step outside the art space and immediately find yourself back in the hustle and bustle of the city.

An important source of inspiration for the exhibition is a photograph of a tree-lined avenue taken by Anouk Griffioen’s father on the day she was born. After his death, Anouk inherited his collection of photo books, filled with nature photographs that he had carefully pasted into albums. She decided to use these photographs as the starting point for the exhibition.

Griffioen translates both memory and her observation of landscapes into virtuosic charcoal drawings, often monumental in scale, created on paper or canvas. Her work explores the conflict between humans and nature, and between the city and the landscape. The continuous expansion of cities puts pressure on their livability. By giving vegetation a place once again within the built environment, she appeals to our longing for nature. It is an invitation to leave the beaten path behind and arrive at new insights.

Anouk Griffioen (1979) exhibited at Vriend van Bavink in 2020. In autumn 2026, her work will be on view at Twickel Castle, Museum MORE. From 8 October through 7 December, she will also be working from STUDIO ARTIS, the public artists’ studio in the Groote Museum at ARTIS.