Friction and Connection: #5 Indisch Monument - Jaroslawa Dankowa

Date: Thursday, 4 June 2026
Location: Museum Sophiahof, The Hague

Stroom Den Haag, in collaboration with the Reinwardt Academy, is organizing a series of sessions titled Friction and Connection. Conversations about Art in Public Space in which we apply the “emotion networking” method to various artworks in The Hague’s public space. Using this method, we explore the interplay of interests and emotions surrounding five specific artworks and engage in dialogue with various stakeholders. We examine how emotion networking can help map urban changes and what specific role artworks play in this process.

During this session, Jaroslawa Dankowa’s Indisch Monument took centre stage as a place of remembrance, encounter and dialogue. It was an open and respectful exchange regarding both the monument’s original intention and the way in which it is experienced and used today. In this way, we are exploring the feelings, memories and perspectives the monument evokes – and how these may differ or, conversely, overlap.

The choice of the Indisch Monument as a subject stems from a broader societal need to gain a better understanding of the lasting impact of the colonial past and slavery. This past is still palpable in personal stories and collective memories. Through this session, we aim to contribute to a more in-depth discussion on this topic, one that allows space for both friction and connection.

For this gathering, we once again brought together a diverse group of participants, comprising people from different generations, with different backgrounds and varying relations to the artwork.

Below is a video-impression of the session. You can view other impressions of Friction and Connection on our YouTube channel.

#1 - sessie Monument van de menselijke vergissing - Marijke de Goey
#2 - sessie And Life Is Over There - Femmy Otten
#3 - sessie Wolkenvijver - Carel Visser
#4 - sessie Rasp - Jan Snoeck
#5 - sessie Indisch Monument - Jaroslawa Dankowa

Are you curious about a particular session and/or would you like to have your say about a particular work of art? Please contact Vincent de Boer at vboer@stroom.nl.

This project is being realized in collaboration with the Reinwardt Academy and with thanks to the City of The Hague.

Want to know more about outdoor art in The Hague? Click here.