On Wednesday, March 5th, Platform POST organized the lecturenight ‘ECHO’ in the midst of the exhibition Bearing Witness at POST, Arnhem. This exhibition brings together works by artists from (post-)conflict areas with stories from veterans and their moral doubts about participating in various UN missions. Together, they show how events that may be historically defined still resonate in lives today.

Siri Driessen presented on the encounters between Dutchbat 3 veterans and Bosnian genocide survivors, and the following questions: Can these encounters contribute to developing a more multivoiced perspective on their shared history? What influence do (collective) memories of the genocide have on the possibilities and limitations of these encounters?

The three speakers that evening each bore witness to these experiences in their own way. Researcher Erna Rijsdijk, as part of the Facing Srebrenica project, worked with a large collection of private photos taken by Dutchbat veterans to commemorate the genocide in Srebrenica. Through this project and the photos, she contributed to a more inclusive culture of remembrance—one in which both the victims and the Dutchbat soldiers were given a face and a voice. Chaplain Gösta Huijs supported Dutch veterans in learning to live with moral injury. And postdoctoral researcher Siri Driessen explored the impact of return journeys on the well-being of Dutchbat veterans through the project Back with a Mission. Led by curator and moderator Laura Mudde, they guided the audience through their practices to show how we can think about war and violence in a more multivoiced way.

The exhibition takes place at two locations:
POST Arnhem (25 January – 20 April 2025)
Willem Twee Kunstruimte Den Bosch (opening 8 February – 30 March 2025)

For more information on the exhibition Bearing Witness see the website of the UvH.

“De schilderijen van Elma Čavčić lijken vrolijk, tot je de bloedspetters op de muur ziet” – De Volkskrant

“After War – Bearing Witness exhibition at POST and Willem Twee” – review by Anna Bitkina