[Pop-upTalk] – Social media, the problematic art scene, and the intimate experiences


On the 30th of October, the NRC published an article exposing the crimes of the artist Juliaan Anderweg. These convictions cover over 14 years of Anderweg committing sexual assault, rape, violence, stalking…etc., with over 80 victims standing in testimonies.


The article has shaken the entire art field in the Netherlands. Insofar as the institutions, by working with Anderweg, have been condoning these actions and contributing to his success. In response to the news came the creation of an Instagram account Call out Dutch art institution. It is a platform where victims can anonymously share their traumatizing experiences of intolerable behaviors in art institutions around the Netherlands. Thus criticize and problematize many issues.


While Juliaan Anderweg was also an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Arts (KABK), the institution had nurtured his behavior. Moreover, accusations also steer upon cases of cross-boundary behavior from the staff towards the students. As a loud echo of many personal and collective sentiments, students fill the academy with widespread outraged reaction and anxiety. Subsequentially, we have witnessed unprecedented shifts in the power structure and grass-root formation of solidarity among students and staff.

Therefore, being its former students and a participant of the Digital Media, Society, and Culture course, I decided to make a situational podcast with my friends from the KABK, in response to this crisis. We aim to first and foremost discuss our experience. Furthermore, since social media has been a fundamental catalyst to the upheaval, we extend our personal opinions on virtual solidarity/disparity and some nuances of cancel culture.

So hope you guys enjoy our Pop-upTalk!