Mens, erger je niet.
Who rolls the dice? Who writes the rules? Who gets sent back to the start?
Don’t be upset, the game is not over yet.
Following their debut collection during Amsterdam Fashion Week, ULKUHANBATUHAN presents a public program developed in collaboration with Felix Meritis. Join us for an exhibition and a paneltalk that opens ‘Mens, erger je niet.’ from the inside out. Inspired by the structure of the familiar board game, the project examines how everyday frustrations gradually reveal the larger structures that shape how we move, adapt and relate to one another. First, you can stroll around Felix to explore the collection, followed by a talk afterwards.
The exhibition does not explain the rules, it offers a behind-the-scenes look into the collection’s creative and collaborative process. It unfolds the collection’s worldbuilding through images and garments. The talk expands the board by placing the project within wider social and political urgencies. Bringing together audiences from different backgrounds and disciplines, it creates space for exchange, reflection and shared experience.
On the 4th of September, we invite you to discover that every collision is framed as an accident until the pattern becomes impossible to ignore.
First, stroll through Felix and explore the collection Mens, Erger Je Niet. Step into its universe through a series of images by photographer Dion Bal, capturing the world of ULKUHANBATUHAN through his lens.
Alongside the imagery, custom-made hats created in collaboration with milliner Mirjam Nuver will be on display. Offering a closer look behind the collection, the hats bring together the disciplines of image-making and craftsmanship.
After exploring the exhibition, join us for a panel talk moderated by Nadine Ridder, bringing together the makers, collaborators and guest speakers of Mens, Erger Je Niet.
The first part looks back with the ULKUHANBATUHAN team and Dion Bal on the journey from concept to collection, and the role of imagery, storytelling and creative exchange.
The conversation continues with Roberto Luis Martins and Faouziat Biera Faous, exploring fashion and creativity as tools for representation, social change and new perspectives.
Line-up talk
ULKUHANBATUHAN
ULKUHANBATUHAN is an interdisciplinary design studio founded by Ülkühan Akgül and Batuhan Demir. Together with Kaan Hiçyılmaz, their artistic practice explores how fashion can function as a spatial and narrative medium. By bringing together performance, scenography, and clothing, they develop projects that center on themes such as identity, power, cultural heritage, and collective memory. Their work invites reflection on the systems and narratives that shape our society.
DION BAL
Dion Bal is a Dutch photographer and creative director. Recognized for his bold and cinematic visuals, his imagery stands out for its refined aesthetic. With an unapologetic point of view, he combines surrealism, pop culture and camp. Bal has collaborated with clients such as Dsquared2, G-Star, MISS SIXTY, Viktor & Rolf, Harpers Bazaar and Numéro. Through his passion for visual storytelling, he is blurring the lines between nostalgia and fantasy.
NADINE RIDDER | Moderator
Nadine Ridder works on social justice within organizations and in society—as a strategist, writer, speaker, and advisor – making visible the systems of power, privilege, and exclusion and translating that insight into concrete action. Language is her primary instrument: in her writing and public work she examines how seemingly neutral words uphold excluding structures, because what we do not name, we cannot change. Photo by Samuel Souhuwat.
ROBERTO LUIS MARTINS
Roberto Luis Martins is the Curator of Fashion and Popular Culture at Amsterdam Museum. Roberto focuses on researching, collecting, and exhibiting fashion and associated popular culture from a socio-political perspective. Examples include the exhibitions Continue This Thread, featuring the power of craft, and Grand March, which highlights the artistic voices of the ballroom house House of Vineyard. Additionally, he recently served as guest curator for the exhibition Ben ik mannelijk? (Am I Masculine?) at the Noordbrabants Museum, which centers on a personal exploration of masculinity.
FAOUZIAT BIERA FAOUS
Faouziat Biera Faous is a multidisciplinary creative and founder of Afrovism. Born in Burundi, raised in the Netherlands and based in Amsterdam. She studied Fashion Design, and continued with a studies in Fashion Branding at Amsterdam Fashion Institute. Her career began as a freelance stylist, with features in Vogue NL, Vogue Greece and Nataal Media, and has worked with brands including Daily Paper, Calvin Klein and Gisou. Her passion for art led her to establish Afrovism, a platform where she celebrates Arts and Culture.
Would you like to attend this program, but don’t have the means to pay for a ticket? Send an email to info@felixmeritis.nl, we can work something out.
Note: By booking this ticket, you agree to potentially be photographed during the event.