What if you could pour out “meaning” from a little jug? Or fill a soap dispenser with “divine power”? And what does a can of “cannon fodder” even look like?
In the exhibition Godsvermogen, artist, poet, and bronze caster Maarten van den Berg (b. 1970, Heerlen) presents a powerful tribute to bronze. With a playful approach, the artist shows how language transforms into metal, and how craftsmanship takes on meaning within an urban context.
Through words and images, Van den Berg explores the intersections between language and form, the everyday and the elevated. As a poet, visual artist, and bronze caster, he works at the crossroads of poetry, sculpture, and craft. His monumental bronze works—created in collaboration with bronze foundry Art & Craft in Vroenhoven—are a raw quest for stillness. They speak of city sailors, love, woven simplicity, comfort, and fighting spirit.
Using wax models, moulds, (documentary) film, and photography, the exhibition offers a unique insight into the artist’s process. Van den Berg places the centuries-old practice of bronze casting within the industrial history of the city of Maastricht. The result is a layered narrative, deeply rooted in Maastricht’s heritage and, at the same time, surprisingly contemporary.
Many people in Maastricht will recognise Van den Berg’s poetic sculptures from the city itself—they adorn squares, bridges, houses of worship, schools, and cafés. Now, for the first time, they are brought together at Bureau Europa, as part of the ongoing exhibition series on material and craftsmanship, which previously focused on zinc and glass. As a platform for architecture and design, Bureau Europa explores how material, craft, and imagination converge in our built and lived environment.
Opening of the Exhibition Godsvermogen – Maarten van den Berg
Saturday, 13 December 2025 – Bureau Europa, Maastricht – Boschstraat 9
Start: 14:00 (sharp!) | 16:30 – Exhibition runs until 1 March 2026
A tribute to bronze. A story in poetry and form.
Bureau Europa warmly invites you to the festive opening of Godsvermogen, an impressive solo exhibition by poet and visual artist Maarten van den Berg (b. 1970, Heerlen).
With poetry cast in bronze, sculptural language works, and a deep attention to the craft of bronze casting, Van den Berg invites you into a world where language becomes tangible. His work bridges the everyday and the transcendent, exploring identity within the urban environment — rooted in Maastricht’s heritage and shaped through a striking visual language.
This exhibition is part of our ongoing series on materials, which previously featured exhibitions on zinc and glass. As a platform for architecture and design, Bureau Europa investigates how material, craftsmanship, and imagination come together in the built and experienced environment.
The opening promises to be a special event. Following the exhibition launch, Maarten van den Berg will present his new poetry collection 'Onder een Dove Hemel.
Don’t miss it!
RSVP for the opening via: info@bureau-europa.nl
Colofon
The exhibition is curated by the artist in collaboration with guest curator Guus van Engelshoven.
Potography: Bert Janssen, Felix Baumsteiger, Lemmie van den Berg. Video: Edward Snijders, Jolien Linssen, Ben Brack, Hanna van den Berg, L1. Bronsgieterij Art & Craft.
Editing poetry collection: Bas Kwakman. Design poetry collection: Edwin Smet. Music poetry collection: Edis van der Pajazetovic.
Financially supported by Gemeente Maastricht, het Mondriaan Fonds en de Stichting Kanunnik Salden/Nieuwenhof.
Dates 13 December 2025 till 1 March 2026
Location Bureau Europa, platform for architecture and design
Admission regular rates apply