ENCOUNTERS: Opening Reception

From 16 to 22 November, we organise ENCOUNTERS and ask who needs to be included, and where to from here. We open the week at Domo, our home for international cultural collaboration. Together with our partners, we look ahead to the week’s programme, share perspectives and open up the questions we want to explore over the coming days. What does international cultural collaboration require in an age of interlocking crises? And what could it look like in five or ten years? What encounters are needed?

Please make sure to reserve your spot via our registration form.

Dr. Marc Boumeester is the Head of Research and Development at ArtEZ University of the Arts, where his work pursues a sustained inquiry into the ontology of imaging. He has developed educational programmes at leading institutions in art and design. ArtEZ hosts the ELIA Biennial 2026, which asks art schools to "go off centre."

Dr. Aparajita Dutta researches internationalisation in fine arts and design education. She recently defended her PhD, The Art (of) Going International: A Study of Internationalisation in the Fine Arts and Design Higher Education across Europe. She has worked in international affairs at several Dutch universities, and is the Head of International Affairs at the University of the Arts The Hague. She is a representative board member of ELIA, Chair of Platform Internationalisation - ELIA and Chair of Dutch Art Academies International Relations Group.

Sharine Rijsenburg is a Dutch-Caribbean filmmaker and researcher based in Rotterdam. Her work explores how history, popular culture and imagery determine who becomes visible and who disappears from view. Her debut film Bubbling Baby (2024) premiered at IFFR 2025. She is a director and researcher at VPRO, and co-director of the YouTube series Starpower! with Kiriko Mechanicus.

Yuliia Malynovska is the first permanent representative of the Ukrainian Institute in the Netherlands. She introduces Ukraine’s culture, artists and projects to Dutch cultural and educational partners, and works to bring Ukraine into key cultural events here. DutchCulture and the Ukrainian Institute have a close partnership, and on Monday the Institute hosts the Coactive Museums workshop on challenging colonial narratives about Ukrainian heritage.

Nimalka Braganza Passanha is a Cultural Emergency Response Programme Manager for Rapid Response. On Monday, Cultural Emergency Response (CER) and Egyptian partner Amany Abd El Hameed, an Egyptologist and heritage researcher link up for a conversation on decolonising heritage protection and recognising the often-overlooked contributions of local communities.

Joanna van der Werf, Managing Director of Stichting Amsterdam Art, the foundation behind Amsterdam Art Week. With a background in law, PR and cultural entrepreneurship, she works to make contemporary art accessible to a broad audience. Her first year at Amsterdam Art and the coinciding return to November marks a new and promising course for the organisation.

After our speakers, we will celebrate the opening of ENCOUNTERS with drinks and bites. Make sure to reserve your spot via our registration form. We are looking forward to welcoming you at Domo - Home for international cultlural collaboration.