Verborgen systemen met Ant Hampton, Marco Mendonça & Thijs Lijster

Some systems function precisely because we fail to notice them. From racist stereotypes to automated decision-making, many of the forces that shape our lives remain largely invisible—until someone brings them into view. In their work, Marco Mendonça and Ant Hampton (both appearing at Noorderzon this year) explore how art can expose hidden structures, assumptions, and mechanisms, making tangible what usually remains unseen.

In Blackface, Marco Mendonça examines how racial stereotypes, representation, and historical power structures continue to shape the way we see one another. Using the format of a late-night talk show, he opens up an uncomfortable yet necessary conversation. In All the Downtime, Ant Hampton investigates how automation, technology, and consumerism influence our everyday lives, as well as our ideas about work, time, and what it means to be human.

Joining them is philosopher Thijs Lijster, whose work explores how culture, ideology, and aesthetics shape our understanding of the world, and how art and critical thought can help us see it differently. Together, they examine how visibility and invisibility are never neutral, but political and aesthetic choices: what is shown, what remains hidden, and who gets to decide.

Host: Rosie Reith

Shifting Grounds – Artist Conversations

In Noorderzon's new Shifting Grounds series, artists from the international programme and leading thinkers come together to explore the questions that lie beneath the surface. How can art open up new ways of seeing the world? Expect conversations on topics including mental health, hidden systems, and new forms of imagination, featuring artists such as Louis Vanhaverbeke, Ant Hampton, Marco Mendonça, Andy Field, and Dead Centre, alongside thinkers including Thijs Lijster and Alice Lagaay.

With thanks to Wilbert van de Kamp and Rosie Reith.