Marres Tourist Office

Curator: Yvonne Grootenboer

Crowds of people take a yearly vacation to relax, go on an adventure, party, and get a breath of fresh air. Way past a sunny day at the beach, the modern leisure industry offers space tours, Tinder trips, mindfulness cruises and ecology flights. Some vacationers take a short break from a stressful job. Incidentally, they reorganize their lives forever. Most return with fresh resolve to continue their daily life. Vacation has thus become an intricate part of our working routine and is characterized by the same desire for stability, physical comfort, and a lack of surprises.

The exhibition Marres Tourist Office offered new stimuli to the tourist. Like a walk through Maastricht with an audio guide about the life of a famous artist or a picknick in the backyard of Marres. Or by building your own castle with LEGO® stones in the work of Krijn de Koning. During the weekends Marres organised a full programme consisting of lectures and performances by Hans Aarsman, Wiel Kusters, Doina Kraal and live radio shows by Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee radio. DJ Mike Moonen made a mix that brings you in a summer mood. The mix is still available via Radio Marres.

Participating artists

Hans Aarsman, Maarten Bel, Teresa Cos, Roger Cremers, Anna Frijstein and Nicola Godman, Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee radio, Krijn de Koning, Frank Koolen i.c.w. Dier In Bedrijf, Doina Kraal, Wiel Kusters, Mike Moonen, Claudia Sola, Derk Thijs and Anneke Walvoort.

Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee Radio goes on holiday

During the weekends the online radio station Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee broadcasted live from Marres. Together with Mike Moonen and numerous guests. Can you travel to another place in sound for a while? What is the value of boredom? How does the summer sound?

During Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee goes on holiday, you hear artists, tourists and sounds – local to the other side of the world – who take you on a journey, not by looking, but by listening. The live broadcasts were attended by audiences. Listen to the shows online.

Der Raufbold Tour

For the exhibition Marres Tourist Office, artist Frank Koolen created in collaboration with the art collective Dier in Bedrijf Der Raufbold Tour, an audiotour about the life of the legendary Maastricht artist and bon vivant Luis C. Smeets. Luis was the inspiring reason for a city walk along important places in the life of one of the most controversial intellectuals in the region.

Win a vacation

In the run-up to the exhibition, Marres made an appeal to collect beautiful, strange, romantic, but above all unforgettable vacation memory. Four winners were selected, all of whom were given a weekend trip to Maastricht, with overnight stay. The competition was a collaboration with four Maastricht hotels: Kaboom Hotel, Trash Deluxe, The Dutch and the Kruisheren Hotel.

Thanks to

Touche-à-Tout (2014-2016) by Doina Kraal is made possible by Het Gieskes-Strijbis Fonds, Mondriaan Fund, the Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, forte_forte and Lejan.