The Floor Is Lava; The Walls Have Ears

Interactive exhibition on memory, power and identity

In *The Floor Is Lava; The Walls Have Ears*, play, humour and participation take centre stage. Visitors are invited to actively engage with the artworks and reflect on stories that are often overlooked by official historiography. The exhibition demonstrates how art can contribute to new perspectives on the past, present and future.

Sculptures and installations with special significance

British artist Marachi Muotoh, who grew up in Nigeria, presents bronze lizard sculptures that seem to wander through the exhibition space like mysterious inhabitants. These figures allude to themes such as cultural identity, colonial history, the restitution of art objects and the search for a sense of belonging.

The Netherlands-based artists Morris Bouwman and Taiyi Yu use recognisable playground toys as the basis for sculptural installations. By placing these everyday objects in a new context, they reveal how play, violence and militarisation sometimes become intertwined without us realising it.

Art in which you become part of the exhibition

Participation plays a key role in the exhibition. Visitors are invited to experience various artworks for themselves, including an installation in which kicking flags transforms from a playful act into a powerful political statement. Humour is used here as a means of challenging existing ideas about power, nationality and conflict.

International collaboration

The exhibition emerged from the ‘What Why War’ Open Call organised by the NGO DEI and brings together two selected artist duos from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Their work demonstrates how art not only responds to social issues, but also creates space for new narratives, dialogue and connection.