Denkbeelden – Portraits of the Mind
Denkbeelden – Portraits of the Mind is an art project and a meaningful collaboration between CKE and GGzE. At its heart lies the desire to visualise the inner world. Because there’s so much more to someone than meets the eye. Greater awareness of inner worlds and mental health helps support the integration of people living with psychological conditions – a cause we’re proud to support.
The inner world is usually hidden
The inner world is usually hidden. It lies behind a smile, drowned out by spoken words, masked by mannerisms, by our sense of decency, our need to fit into the system. We dress well, fix our hair. Meanwhile, a storm may be raging inside – or perhaps there’s a heavy, deathly silence.
2024: Creative workshops and Grote Beek Pop
As part of the Denkbeelden project, we organised a series of creative workshops – at CKE, at GGzE, and across the city. We did this in collaboration with visual artists and writers. The result was a collective artistic portrait, in which participants revealed their inner world. This artwork was exhibited at Grote Beek Pop on 11 August.
2025: Exhibition at CKE
In early 2025, the exhibition was on display at CKE. Over 250 portraits were shown – each offering a visual response to the question: What does your inner world look like?
2025: An unmasked ball
In February, a special event took place as part of the exhibition. Together with GGzE, we hosted Denkbeelden – An Unmasked Ball. The theme: How can we talk openly about mental health, and what role does art play in care and daily life? During this ‘unmasked’ ball, artists, care professionals and people with lived experience took off the metaphorical mask and engaged in open conversation.
The programme was rich and varied: there was a spoken word performance by city writer Corinne Heyrman, a talk on art and mental health, and live music from Jesus and the Fishsticks – part of the Will Hawkins Collective, a platform for people with backgrounds in care and support. Artist and all-round creative Niek Vergeer also spoke candidly about how his neurodivergence shapes both his life and work.
Interested in collaborating?
Are you part of a social organisation with a similar question or an idea for a unique art project? Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!