Opening Expo: Fragments of Being
Exhibition curated by student resident Lola Abbas
- Date
- 5 November 2026
- Time
- 16:00 -18:00
- Location
- BG 3
- Room
- VOX-POP
Music and fashion serve as important means to express ourselves and find a sense of belonging with likeminded peers. But what does it mean to belong to a subculture today, when so much of our social and cultural life takes place online? How do we adopt and rework different influences to make something of our own? And how might we consider identity formation as a process of ‘sampling’ fragments of cultural sources – like a mosaic, or collage of identity? Is subculture, to put it bluntly, still alive?
Across four interactive workshops, participants from diverse backgrounds explored these questions through creative work, reflecting on how they shape and express their identities. The exhibition invites you to encounter their perspectives and discover how they bring fragments of different cultural influences together into their own curations of self. Their work as such offers a tangible contribution to the field of subcultural youth studies, rooted directly in young people’s own experiences and creative expressions.
Opening programme
Join us during the opening for a panel discussion with various experts in the field of subculture, fashion, and identity. Together, we will explore the changing role of subculture in contemporary fashion and the ways we express belonging through what we wear.
16:00 - 16:15 Walk-in
16:15 - 16:30 Introduction
16:30 - 17:15 Panel Talk on Subcultural Affiliation and Fashion
17:15 - 17:30 Q&A
17:15 - 18:00 Drinks and walking through the exhibition
Participants of Fragments of Being
Ajhani Carroll
Alexia Balaguer
Asal Delju
Deeya Saini
Em Flavin
Emma Shi
Rupert Hess
Stijn Spel
Valentina Magrini
Speakers
Prof. Dr. Anneke Smelik is Professor Emerita of Visual Culture at Radboud University Nijmegen. She has hundreds of publications to her name on fashion, film, art and popular media. Her current research focuses on the relationship between fashion, identity and sustainability in a ‘posthuman’ context. A monograph written by Smelik on Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen is due to be published by Anthem Press this autumn.
KledingCast: the passion project that got out of hand… What began as two friends sharing stories about fashion evolved into an initiative dedicated to promoting Dutch creativity. How? Jonas & Hessel reflected on their own search for like-minded people who were just as obsessed with fashion, art and culture. The ‘eureka’ moment came quite quickly. There are loads of brilliant creatives in the Netherlands, yet they often have no idea who the others are. That had to change! The rest is history…
Photo @by.rees
Roberto Luis Martins is curator, researcher, heritage specialist, and public speaker with a focus on the intersections of art, fashion, and popular culture. He deconstructs themes of identity and decolonization through the lens of fashion and style, in which he emphasizes underexposed perspectives and stories from makers, wearers, and others involved in heritage.
Practical Information
This event is free of charge and open to all. We do ask you to register for the event beforehand. The event takes place at VOX-POP (groundfloor), Binnengasthuisstraat 9.
This event is the opening of the exhibiton Fragments of Being, curated by student-resident Lola Abbas. The exhibition will be on display at VOX-POP from 5 November 2026 untill 21 January 2027.
Fragments of Being curator
Lola Abbas is a graduate of the Research Master’s in Literary Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Her interests centre on contemporary culture, subcultures and the ways people shape and express their identities through music, fashion and digital media. At VOX-POP, she is currently developing Fragments of Being, a series of workshops and an exhibition exploring self-expression and belonging in an increasingly digital world.
