Loesje
Sonsbeek 2026
Park Sonsbeek, Arnhem and City Center Arnhem
Inleiding
Ik hoef geen tuin, ik deel een park (I don't need a backyard, I share a park), 2026
Posterwand 1983-2026, 1983-2026
Photo: Django van Ardenne
The fictional character, and the writers’ collective behind her are known for the thousands of posters they have released with critical yet optimistic slogans that remind us that collective action is possible. Headquartered in Arnhem, with members throughout the Netherlands, Loesje’s gang meet regularly to come up with texts for weekly posters, booklets, and calendars, distributing them throughout the country on the street and social media. Every poster is a prompt to think and do differently, but never alone. Loesje’s expansion internationally after the fall of the Berlin Wall reflects the impact of her method, and the need to remember differently—including in places where posters can’t be spread publicly, raising questions about what public space means elsewhere. Posters offer a different type of public artwork, interfering in public space without asking. They are mundane monuments that communicate a message in a second. Loesje’s contribution to Sonsbeek 2026 is a love letter to the city, comprising several parts. She boldly celebrates the park with a mural on the De Rentmeesterswoning, which historically was the residence of the park’s landlord. At Arnhem’s Rembrandt theater she presents a timeline of posters since 1983, including international campaigns, which, true to her nature, are continuously updated by members. At Klarendalseweg, she pays tribute to her fellow Arnhem residents with a second mural. Together with other visitors they can experience and contribute to Loesje’s legacy through writing workshops organized at Plaatsmaken as part of the public program.
Listen in the audiotour
Over de kunstenaar
Loesje (est. 1983, Arnhem) is a writers’ collective and fictional character known for the thousands of posters they have released with creative, critical, yet optimistic slogans about sociopolitical and cultural developments. Headquartered in Arnhem, with members spread throughout the Netherlands, they meet regularly to come up with texts for weekly posters, booklets, and calendars, distributing them throughout the country on the street and social media. Loesje expanded their activities internationally after the fall of the Berlin Wall. They are currently active in many countries—including those where posters can’t be spread publicly, raising questions about what public space means elsewhere. Internationally, Loesje is most active in Poland, Palestine, Belgium, Germany, Egypt, and Estonia. Each group writes about issues relevant within and outside their countries, usually in their native language, but the Loesje signature is the same everywhere. Since public space is her playing ground, Loesje has been on display continuously on streets all over the world for over four decades. Coming soon to a wall, trash can, or electricity box near you...
Loesje would like to thank Nikolaas van Dijck (street conservation officer, Arnhem); Theo Tegelaers (Arnhem City Council); the Steward’s House at the Dutch Water Museum, Arnhem; the owners of Klarendalseweg, Arnhem; and all the gang members, volunteers, writers, sticker artists, activists and other people at Loesje who, in their own way, are trying to make the world a little bit better.
Commissioned by Sonsbeek 2026