BUNNIK.- Rory Pilgrim’s solo exhibition is on show in Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd.

Social engagement, music, and an attention to language and dialogue characterise the work of Rory Pilgrim (Bristol, 1988). Pilgrim has been living and working in the Netherlands for around 15 years and has built up a multifaceted oeuvre of song lyrics, musical compositions and videos, films, drawings, installations and live performances. Pilgrim brings together different generations and life experiences and poses questions about living together and caring for one another and for the world.

For Oud Amelisweerd, Pilgrim has selected three films, plus drawings, posters and installations from the past 15 years. After the Dutch elections in November 2023, Pilgrim was reminded of their feeling of a loss of solidarity post Brexit. This influenced their selection of films—Violently Speaking (2014), The Resounding Bell (2018) and RAFTS (2022)—in which they actively search for connection and open up a dialogue between generations and communities. Using these films as a starting point, the the artist together with Olga Micińska created a scenography: a spatial composition in which drawings, sketchbooks and special installations are brought together.

The common thread is Pilgrim’s exploration of forms that offer buoyancy and support. Sometimes this is expressed literally—in the form of life-rafts, safety nets or carrier bags as tools of solidarity and compassion, and sometimes poetically—through music, fairy-tale-like drawings or moving dialogues. As such, the artist tells a hopeful story about interpersonal relationships and collective visions of the future.

From 2022 to 2027, the Centraal Museum is taking up residence at Oud Amelisweerd. From spring to autumn for the next five years, this beautiful country estate will form the backdrop for a solo exhibition by a renowned Dutch contemporary artist. On the first floor of the mansion, the museum will give artists carte blanche to present works that interact with the historical interiors. Rory Pilgrim is the sixth artist in this series of exhibitions.