The Arts Society The Hague (https://theartssociety.org/the-hague) invites you to join us for the 7th lecture of the season given by Chris Aslan on ‘The Silk Road’ on Tuesday 14th April 2026 at 20.00 hours in the Atrium of R.C Parish ‘Church of Our Saviour’, Helenastraat 8, 2595HA The Hague.
We start exploring the Silk Road through the lens of textiles and how wool, silk, and cotton changed the fortunes, cultures, and landscape of Central Asia. Then we examine how Central Asia came under Russian and the Soviet influence and how art was used in propaganda, moulding and influencing the Muslim peoples now under Russian atheist rule. Finally we hear how independence of ‘the -stans’ has led to a resurgence in art and textiles, focussing on the silk carpet workshop founded by the lecturer, reviving 15th century carpet design based on Persian illuminated manuscripts.
Mr Chris Aslan
Chris Aslan was born in Turkey (hence the name Aslan) and spent his childhood there and in war-torn Beirut. After school, Chris spent two years at sea before studying Media and journalism at Leicester University. He then moved to Khiva, a desert oasis in Uzbekistan, establishing a UNESCO workshop reviving fifteenth century carpet designs and embroideries, and becoming the largest non-government employer in town. He was kicked out as part of an anti-Western purge, and took a year in Cambridge to write A Carpet Ride to Khiva. Chris then spent several years in the Pamirs mountains of Tajikistan, training yak herders to comb their yaks for their cashmere-like down. Next came a couple more years in Kyrgyzstan living in the world’s largest natural walnut forest and establishing a wood-carving workshop. Since then, Chris has studied and rowed at Oxford, and is now based in Cambridge, but with plans to move to North Cyprus. When he’s not lecturing for The Arts Society, he writes. His latest book, Unravelling the Silk Road, is published by Icon Books. Chris also takes tours to Central Asia, returning whenever he can, having left a large chunk of his heart out there.
This will be a live lecture with the lecturer physically present in the Atrium. We are hoping that members and Guests will take the opportunity to come to the Atrium.
For those unable to be present at the Atrium, this lecture will also be streamed via a Zoom to those who registered.
You are requested to sign up for the lecture beforehand, also if you are coming to join us in person at the Atrium, by clicking on the sentence below at the ‘How to book this event’ section.
HOW TO BOOK THIS EVENT:
Registration is open and close at midnight 12 APR 26.
The American Book Center is 50! Join the celebrations.
Saturday, April 11th
ABC Amsterdam, Spui 12 1012XA ABC The Hague, Lange Poten 23 2511CM ABC Leidschendam, Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, Kornoelje 15 2262AX
Join us in celebrating our birthday this year!
🎂 All three stores will have cake to share with you all (as long as supplies last of course).
🎒 We will also be giving away special, limited edition mini Booklover Bags to anyone who buys something in our physical stores on this day.
🪪 Those lovely folks who have a valid ABC Booklover Card get 10% extra discount (so 20% discount in total) in our physical stores on this day.
ABC The Hague will have a few extra things going on, as we are celebrating our 50th birthday there:
🖼️ Come have a look at our ABC museum display, with 50 years of memories. Do you remember our old location? What staff t-shirts have we worn throughout the years?
📚 We’ll also have two trivia quizzes in the afternoon, at 12:00 hrs and at 15:00 hrs. Come test your literary knowledge, and we’ll also sprinkle in some ABC The Hague trivia! Maximum group size for participation is 3 people, it’s first come first serve as far as space goes, and we’ll have some fun goodie bags for the winners! The trivia quizzes will be held upstairs, but please note that unfortunately we do not have an elevator, so the these will not be wheelchair accessible.
After our wonderful St Patrick’s Day show, we bring you great music from Ireland again on March 27! Two acts, but completely different worlds.
NIAMH REGAN Niamh Regan from Galway writes songs that get under your skin without raising their voice. Her debut album Hemet put her straight on the radar with Choice Music Prize and RTÉ Folk Award nominations. Since then she has toured across Ireland, the UK and beyond. Her latest record Come As You Are (2024) goes even deeper. Think Lisa Hannigan, but with her own calm, hypnotic pull. Live, she holds a room in complete silence.
EPILOGUE (postpunk from Kildare)
Epilogue is one of those bands you catch just before everything explodes. They moved fast from rough, thrashy rock into a sharper post-punk sound with their latest release Carousel. Guitars that cut. Basslines that move. Drums that don’t sit still. They feel like younger cousins of Fontaines D.C. and The Murder Capital. The buzz in Ireland is real. This is early days, but not for long. Raw. Urgent. Right on the edge.
‘It is a celebration of our love, of our life together. Of all the amazing people we met and the fact that we can express all our ideas through photography, through digital manipulation has been endlessly inspiring.’ – Inez & Vinoodh
Featured image above: courtesy of Kunstmuseum
The brand new exhibition at Kunstmuseum Den Haag: Can Love Be a Photograph, is a major retrospective celebrating the forty-year career of the legendary, Dutch-born photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. If you’ve picked up a glossy fashion magazine, chances are you’ve seen their work.
This monumental exhibition—consisting of 18 rooms—looks back on the life and creative partnership that these artists have shared since 1986. As pioneers in the field of digital imaging, Inez & Vinoodh occupy a unique position at the intersection of fashion and art, from which they continually push the boundaries of the medium of photography.
Images below: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers
In addition to their artistic work, Inez & Vinoodh have created influential campaigns for leading fashion houses such as Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel for decades, and have had global stars like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Barack Obama, Brad Pitt, and Billie Eilish in front of their cameras.
To this day, the couple are driven by the conviction that a photograph is not a fixed entity, but a malleable surface. The duo pioneered digital image manipulation in the 1990s. For them, this remains the ideal tool to continue developing an image even after the photograph has been taken.
To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of their joint artistic practice, Kunstmuseum Den Haag has invited Inez & Vinoodh to look back on their shared creative lives. The galleries are arranged thematically, with the tension between reality and construction as the common thread. In their works, they create a seductive and alienating world. They challenge you to rethink beauty and authenticity, and to question how identity is formed and experienced.
Above all, Inez & Vinoodh view photography as the ultimate act of love. In their images, it is not so much the subject, but the driving force. Love flows between the artists and their models, bringing the photographs to life from within. After four decades of collaborating, experimenting, and shared authorship, Inez & Vinoodh reveal a simple, clear truth: love can actually be a photograph.
What struck me most after seeing the exhibition, standing in those rooms, was how familiar so many of these images felt — faces and compositions I had absorbed through the pages of fashion magazines for years, now suddenly alive at a scale that stops you in your tracks. Seeing them in person transforms them entirely; what reads as sleek editorial on a printed page reveals itself, in real life, as something far more raw and emotionally charged. These are not just photographs — they are proof that beauty, when made with love, has a way of staying with you long after you have left the room.
Book
The eponymous photobook has been published accompanying the exhibition. In addition to dozens of photographs by Inez & Vinoodh, this book contains contributions by Michael Amzalag & Mathias Augustyniak, Guus Beumer, Francesco Bonami, Pamela Chen, Donatien Grau, Margriet Schavemaker, and Willemijn van der Zwaan, as well as a conversation with Tilda Swinton.
This beautiful edition, designed by MM (Paris) and published by Hannibal Books, is available in the museum shop.
Can Love Be a Photograph – 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh is on view from 21st March to 6th September 2026.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers and Kunstmuseum Inez & Vinoodh
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
A free 12-hour movie marathon with big titles, local films & live Q&As. Drop in anytime – popcorn & cotton candy included.
Join us for a full day of cinema at our 12-Hour Movie Marathon, organized by The Social Hub The Hague as part of the extended program around the Movies that Matter festival.
From 10:00 to 22:00, the Wintergarden transforms into a cosy, relaxed cinema space with beds, soft seating, and plenty of places to unwind. This is a fully free, drop-in event– come by for a single film or stay all day.
The program combines well-known, impactful films, with short films made by local filmmakers and members of our local Social Hub community. Throughout the day, you’ll discover powerful short films that highlight important social themes and fresh perspectives.
As we move into the evening, the spotlight shifts even more to local creators, with selected short films followed by live Q&As with the filmmakers.
Program (TBA): A rolling film schedule throughout the day, with specific screening times and Q&As to be announced soon. Expect a mix of big titles, hidden gems, and meaningful conversations.
To complete the experience, we’ll provide free popcorn and cotton candy throughout the day.
Make sure to also visit the exhibition by local artist Mika Schalks in our restaurant space – an additional creative layer to explore during your visit.
Come as you are, stay as long as you like, and experience films that matter.
Reserve afree ticket to help us plan ahead, but come by whenever you like between 10:00 and 22:00.
South African artist Peter Mammes, who is based in the United Kingdom, will present his solo exhibition The Great Filter at NGO DEI in The Hague from 9 to 31 May 2026.
The exhibition takes its name from the scientific idea known as the Great Filter. The theory suggests that many intelligent civilisations may eventually destroy themselves before they advance far enough to spread into the universe.
Mammes’ drawings explore this possibility through scenes where children, animals, machines and human figures appear together in carefully constructed compositions. Moments of innocence are often placed next to symbols of technological power, suggesting a fragile balance between progress and destruction.
Created at a time when war once again dominates global headlines, the exhibition carries a clear anti-war message. References to weapons, surveillance and military technology appear alongside images of nature and childhood, reflecting concerns about how technological progress can become tied to systems of conflict and control.
“The Great Filter is the idea that most intelligent civilizations destroy themselves before they can spread into the universe,” says Peter Mammes. “In a time of war and rapid technological change, it raises a difficult question: are we capable of managing the forces we’ve created?”
The exhibition is presented in The Hague, a city internationally known as a centre for diplomacy and international law. In this context, The Great Filter reflects on humanity’s ability to avoid destructive paths and navigate the challenges created by its own technologies.
Exhibition The Great Filter Artist Peter Mammes Dates 9–31 May 2026 Opening hours 1pm – 7pm (Closed Monday & Tuesday) Opening event 9 May 2026, 3pm – 7pm Closing event 29 May 2026, 7pm – 10pm Venue NGO DEI Address Westeinde 25, 2512GS, The Hague, Netherlands
About the Artist Peter Mammes is a South African artist based in the United Kingdom. His work explores the relationships between technology, nature and human civilisation. Through figurative imagery combined with intricate patterned structures, his drawings examine themes of conflict, ecological fragility and the systems that shape contemporary life.
