BlowUp Jubilee is expanding to the Madurodam theme park this year. In addition to over twenty monumental installations in The Hague’s Museum Quarter, small-scale inflatable artworks will appear alongside iconic miniatures. For instance, during the art event, from May 22 to June 21, an inflatable artwork will be on display at the Prime Minister’s Tower.
This installation was developed by the British artist Steve Messam. Originally, he wanted to have the work placed on the actual Little Tower, but this proved unfeasible at full scale.
Curator Mary Hessing: “Back in 2022, when I was walking around the Binnenhof with artist Steve Messam, his eyes started to gleam at the sight of the Little Tower. Unfortunately, his wild plans proved unfeasible, but I never forgot them. This year, everything suddenly fell into place with this expansion to Madurodam.”
Sunset on the ‘Veluwe’
Other works are also being specially adapted to the scale of Madurodam. For instance, Sunset in The Hague by Rodrigues-Rijnierse — previously on display at the Hofvijver during BlowUp Art 2022 — returns in miniature. At Madurodam, this ‘sun’ sets on the pond in front of the monumental Sint Hubertus Hunting Lodge, which Berlage built on the Veluwe in 1915.
Hester Oerlemans, winner of the prestigious Wilhelminaring sculpture prize in 2025, is creating two iconic miniature ‘balloon chairs’ for the garden of Paleis Het Loo. Hessing continues: “I have been following Oerlemans for years; she is a remarkable artist who combines sensitive tactility and humor in her work with great ease and decisiveness. I am proud that she is part of BlowUp Jubilee this year.”
Monumental in miniature
The collaboration with Madurodam creates an intriguing tension between scale, context, and imagination. Where BlowUp Jubilee transforms The Hague city center with monumental inflatable art, Madurodam shows how these works relate to the Netherlands as a whole.
BlowUp Jubilee takes place in the Museum Quarter in The Hague from May 22 to June 21, 2026, and admission is free. Regular admission fees apply for access to Madurodam.
The occasional duo Rodrigues-Rijnierse is also creating a miniature artwork for BlowUp Jubilee. (photo: BlowUp Art 2022 by Pim Top / The Hague & Partners)