PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Date and time
June 20
Museum open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 AM
When the sun barely sets in Finland, Juhannus is celebrated: Midsummer’s Eve. This special time marks the height of summer and is traditionally celebrated with bonfires, music, food and socialising — a celebration of light, life and togetherness. All across Finland, people gather by lakes, in the countryside and around bonfires to celebrate the longest day of the year and welcome in the summer.
On 20 June, Rijksmuseum Twenthe brings this unique atmosphere to Enschede with Midsummer Night – An Ode to Light. To mark the exhibition Pekka Halonen. An Ode to Finland, the museum transforms into a place where visitors can experience Finnish culture during a long summer’s day and evening.
The museum will remain open until 2.00 am. Visitors can enjoy live music, workshops, Finnish delicacies and activities in and around the museum gardens, including a landscape painting workshop. The full programme will follow shortly!
Activities
Film Screening: Teardrops of Our Grandmother
Venue: Gobelinzaal
12:30–12:45, 17:45–18:00.
Duration: 15 minutes
As part of the exhibition Pekka Halonen. An Ode to Finland, we present the video Teardrops of Our Grandmother (2023) by Sámi artists Jenni Laiti and Carl-Johan Utsi.
The film offers a poetic reflection on the fragility of survival in a threatened world. The Sámi way of life is closely intertwined with winter, cold and the eight seasons of the Arctic. Climate change is disrupting these natural rhythms, putting pressure on both the existence of indigenous communities and that of animal and plant species.
The video explores the inseparable connection between humans and nature. Damage to the landscape also affects the human body. The film invites us to slow down, reflect and restore our relationship with the world around us.
Teardrops of Our Grandmother was previously shown at the Helsinki Biennale and is now being screened in the Netherlands for the first time.
Food by Spice Road
Times: 13:00 – 01:00
Enjoy Spice Road’s delicious dishes throughout the day and evening. The menu offers a surprising blend of Indian and Surinamese flavours, freshly prepared and perfect for a bite to eat.
Workshop sneeuwschilder
Location: Studio 1
Times: 1.00–2.30 pm and 3.00–4.30 pm
Duration: 1.5 hours
All ages
Booking: via the website
Maximum number of participants: 10
The Finnish artist Pekka Halonen is known as the ‘snow painter’, and with good reason. With subtle colour nuances, expressive brushstrokes and undulating forms, he managed to bring snow almost to life. The snow-covered branches in his paintings sometimes even take on an almost abstract character. But how did he achieve that effect? Which colours did he use, and how did he build up his compositions?
In the ‘Snow Painter’ workshop, you’ll learn to look at Halonen’s winter landscapes with fresh eyes. You’ll discover how colour, form and rhythm combine to bring a snowy landscape to life, and you’ll be introduced to the basics of painting snow with acrylic paint.
Under the guidance of artist Aiwa Froeling, you’ll get to work yourself and create your own piece. You can develop this further at home or use it as a starting point for even more (snow) landscapes.
Workshop bloemenkransen maken
Venue: Courtyard; in case of bad weather, Studio 2.
Times: 13:00–13:20, 13:30–13:50, 14:00–14:20, 15:00–15:20, 15:30–15:50, 16:00–16:20 and 16:30–16:50
Registration: on the day at the entrance desk.
Maximum number of participants: 10.
During the Finnish midsummer celebration, Juhannus, nature plays a special role. Traditionally, it was believed that plants and flowers were at their most potent around midsummer. They were said to have healing and protective properties and to bring happiness, love and fertility to those who picked them on the day of Juhannus. One of the most beautiful traditions to emerge from this is the making of flower wreaths. By weaving and wearing a wreath of freshly picked flowers, you took a piece of that special summer power with you, as it were. During this workshop, you will discover this centuries-old Finnish tradition and, under the guidance of Liselotte Schrap from Bloem Liselotte, make your own flower wreath.
Koekjes versieren
Times: 13:00 – 00:00
Location: Museum Café
Get creative with icing, colours and decorations and make your own festive biscuit. A fun activity for children and adults alike. And of course, you can take your creation home with you.
Concert: Find Calm
Venue: Gobelinzaal
Time: 4.00 pm.
During Juhannus, nature, light and contemplation take centre stage. In this same spirit, the Find Calm concert invites you to slow down and consciously pause to reflect on the moment. Lying amongst the artworks, let yourself be carried away by improvisations and meditative sounds. The music creates space for peace, reflection and stillness, allowing you to momentarily escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and become fully immersed in the here and now. With their duet of clarinet and piano, André Kerver and Joris Kostelijk take you on a tranquil musical journey.
Speed Tours
Location: Pekka Halonen
Times: 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00
Curator Valentijn As takes you on a guided tour of the exhibition ‘Pekka Halonen: An Ode to Finland’.
Pilates
Venue: Gobelinzaal
Duration: 20 minutes
Times: 13:00–13:20, 15:00–15:20, 17:10–17:30
Start your Sunday full of energy with a mat Pilates session in an inspiring setting. As part of the exhibition Pekka Halonen. An Ode to Finland, we are organising a Pilates class at a special location within the museum. Be inspired by the tranquil winter landscapes and Finnish outdoor life in Halonen’s work, unwind to the music of Jean Sibelius and experience how movement, breathing and mindfulness come together. A relaxing and energising experience that puts your body to work in a healthy way, surrounded by art.
Band
Time: 14:00–14:30
Venue: Gobelinzaal
Rimini is a German-Lebanese singer-songwriter with a bit of a Dutch heart. Together with cellist Maggy Katt, her long-standing musical partner since their days at the ArtEZ Conservatoire, she creates intimate songs that oscillate between vulnerability and quiet anger.
Built around guitar or piano and almost always the cello, her music creates space to slow down and feel something real. Not afraid to question what beauty means, and willing to sacrifice it for an honest story. A concert by rimini is not a one-way street. Listeners are welcome to knit, daydream, journal, or simply fall asleep. As long as you’re there in your own way.
Her debut single “home” explores the feeling of being lost and the slow return to oneself.
Photobooth
Location: Courtyard
Visit the photo booth in the courtyard and have your photo taken wearing a floral wreath, inspired by the Finnish Midsummer tradition. A lovely souvenir of Midsummer’s Eve!
Entreehal en vijver
According to a Finnish midsummer tradition, single people can catch a glimpse of their future partner by looking into a well or pond. You are also supposed to gather seven or nine different flowers and place them under your pillow; your future partner might then appear in your dreams.
On Midsummer’s Eve, we like to pay a nod to this tradition. Take a look into the pond in the courtyard garden and take a flower home with you when you leave. Who knows, it might bring a little midsummer magic with it…
