Platform voor Architectuur & Design

Van wie is de berg?

A Century of Digging and Dreaming at ENCI

3 September till 8 November 2026

In 2026, it will be 100 years since ENCI began quarrying the Sint Pietersberg. We want to mark this milestone by both celebrating and commemorating it with an exhibition of art and heritage. For a century, the site was completely closed to the public, yet it also proved to be a magnet for artists. They gave the factory and its workers a visual identity, gave a face to the protests against mining, and were drawn to the quarry’s extraordinary landscape and the underground secrets of its centuries-old tunnel systems.

In a survey exhibition at Bureau Europa, visitors are taken on a journey through the fascinating history of the area, passing through the collections of local experts and those involved with the site - both amateurs and professionals - before arriving at visions for the future and unrealised dreams. Through precise observations, the selected artists offer insight into the continuous process of change the area is undergoing, centred around the question: Who does the mountain belong to?

Since the gates gradually began to open in 2016, artists involved in projects such as OVERGANGSZONE, Pioneers and the minor Artistic Research in Situ (ARiS) have mapped and interpreted the area. Over the past ten years, these artistic and research projects, conducted in, around, on and with ENCI, have shown that each stakeholder creates their own ENCI. From industry to cultural heritage, from untouched nature to recreation: our involvement gives ENCI meaning. The artworks that emerged from these projects will now be exhibited and shared with a wider audience for the first time.

The exhibition also marks the first collaboration between Bureau Europa, the research group of the art faculties at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, the ARiS minor and the programmes of Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts. An extensive public and educational programme accompanying the exhibition will offer a wider audience the opportunity to discover artistic research, but above all, to explore the wealth of stories held within this remarkable area.

Image: Aliki van der Kruijs

Practical information

Opening: Thursday, 3 September 2026, Bureau Europa, Maastricht. 

Programme
Introductory programme – 17:00
Welcome: Floor van Spaendonck, Director of Bureau Europa
Exhibition introduction: Curators Krien Clevis and Joep Vossebeld
Peter Mergelsberg, former Director of Stichting Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij ENCI-gebied
Ties van de Werff, Professor of Practice What Art Knows, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences

Festive opening – 18:00–19:30
Especially for the opening, the ENCI Occasional Choir, conducted by Ronald Franssen, will perform for us. Afterwards, you are warmly invited to visit the exhibition and raise a glass together.

In addition, BERG walks will take place every Saturday or Sunday, led by a duo consisting of an artist and a local expert. These special guided walks start and end at Bureau Europa. Depending on the focus of the duo, each walk will follow a different route or explore a different location.

On several Sundays, additional presentations will be given by historians, collectors and others connected to the area. There will also be educational workshops on several weekends, including sessions led by the ARiS minor, ARiS/iArts alumni and the What Art Knows research group.

View the public programme here.

Colofon

Featuring works by
Aliki van der Kruijs, Arjun Das, Chaim van Luit, Deep Time Agency (Miriam Sentler & Wouter Osterholt), Eline Kersten, Júlia Galarza Arévalo & Bente Scheffer, Helena, Lola Morgado & Sarah Arevalo Palomares, Mounir Eddib, Sanne Vaassen.

The exhibition also features contributions by
Islam Abdelkader, Froukje de Boer, Krien Clevis, Hans Ogg, Massoud Sakhi, Wander Slob, Jean-Paul Toonen, The Institute of Cartopology, Stichting Ir. D.C. van Schaïk, Stichting Oud-Sint Pieter, Tracé - Limburgs Samenlevingsarchief en ENCI Maastricht.

For more information
Joep Vossebeld (joepvossebeld@outlook.com / Krien Clevis (krien.clevis@planet.nl )/ Bureau Europa (info@bureau-europa.nl)

https://overgangszone.nl/ | https://overgangszone.nl/artistic-research-in-situ/ | https://www.bureau-europa.nl/

Dates: 4 September – 8 November 2026
Location: Bureau Europa, platform for architecture and design
Admission: Regular admission fees; free entry with a Museumkaart

Subsidies