Tekens van vrijheid

To commemorate 75 years of freedom, the Limburgs Museum and Museum van Bommel van Dam present ‘Signs of freedom’, an exhibition featuring poignant works by artists and filmmakers inspired by the liberation of 1945.

For the artists, the recognition of new freedom brought back memories of an era defined by sorrow, heavy-heartedness, and oppression. Take Armando, for example, whose entire oeuvre was a representation of his war experiences, defined by a lust for power. The exhibition features art from the post-war movements CoBrA, Vrij Beelden, Liga Nieuw Beelden and the Nul-beweging, including work by Ger Lataster, Aad de Haas, Melle, Jaap Wagemaker, Wim de Haan, Jan Schoonhoven, Wim Oepts, Herman Berserik and Shinkichi Tajiri.

Visitors will be taken on a rite of passage from violence and death to freedom and joy, and from fear and depression to endless optimism. The exhibition evokes a world of parallels between past and present and paints a cross-generational picture of freedom.

Signs of freedom also includes four film premières. The documentary colloquially known as the Puinfilm ('rubble movie'), from filmmakers Dré Brenneker and Baer Thiery, will be screened in a new light. The film depicts the dramatic scene in Venlo following the liberation offensive on the Meuse from October 1944 to March 1945. The exhibition ends with three short films created by students Ian Wijnands, Jonah Rijnders, and Kayleigh Hanckmann, illustrating their personal relationship with freedom.