Introduction

Be[com]ing Dutch was a large project developed over two years both inside and outside the Van Abbemuseum. Consisting of debates, reading groups, artist's projects, exhibitions, residencies, the project interrogated various forms of collective participation and production.

As questions of cultural identity and normative 'national' values become ever more of an issue in political and cultural debate, Be[com]ing Dutch asks whether art can offer alternative examples of thinking about how we can live together today. Be[com]ing Dutch seeks to put our ideas of cultural identity under pressure and examine the process of inclusion and exclusion in the world today.