First Major Retrospective Exhibition of Sara Sejin Chang (Sara van der Heide) at the Oud Amelisweerd Country Estate

In her work, Chang interrogates the colonial and Eurocentric 'blueprint' that has shaped the present in Europe – for instance, in the development of a large-scale, transracial adoption industry rooted in colonial power relations. It is precisely in form, through poetic and enchanting installations, that she tries to undo that way of thinking. Chang's work invites collective healing. Central is the notion of transmutation: a spiritual process through which historically constructed patterns, structures and hierarchies are transformed, transcending the personal.

Many of Chang's films and installations are the result of years of research. Works such as Hollands Kabinet (2010–2012), The Garden (2014) and Art History (2011) unfold over extended periods, offering a critique of Western notions of progress and linearity. At the same time, they serve as meditations on the normalisation of the far right, nationalism and Western hegemony within (art) history.

Bart Rutten, Artistic Director of the Centraal Museum:

'Centraal Museum has followed Sara Sejin Chang's practice with great attention for many years. With her layered and poetic work, she demonstrates how historically developed systems are still relevant today. This resonates particularly well in the historic rooms of Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd.'

Running like a thread throughout the house is the watercolour series Hollands Kabinet. When, in 2010, it was announced that Prime Minister Mark Rutte's cabinet would be formed with the parliamentary support of the far-right Geert Wilders' PVV, many people were dismayed. As a poetic gesture of resistance against the normalisation of far-right ideology, Chang painted a new Hollands Kabinet every day that the government remained in power. The title refers to the word's double meaning: the Dutch governing coalition, but also a traditional Dutch cabinet piece of furniture.

'By meticulously documenting the multifarious nature and colonial roots of the Hollands Kabinet (the piece of furniture), Chang exposes the vision of the Hollands Kabinet (the government) – namely that of a pure, unique Dutch identity – as a myth.' – Ana Teixeira Pinto, The Gift That Keeps on Taking, 2026.

Chang's most recent installation, Dismemberment (2024), consists of two interconnected spaces: a cinema and a gallery space that echoes the one depicted in the film. The gallery plays with the ethnographic gaze and is conceived as a ritual chamber filled with Korean shamanic objects: a ceremonial fan, watercolors, phallic sculptures and paper prayers.

Dismemberment is a shamanic and political allegory in which the ideals of the Enlightenment – long used to justify colonial domination – are embodied in the figure of a gallery owner named Europe. She personifies the 'European Enlightenment project' and modern ideals, a role performed by German actress Susanne Sachsse. Chang herself appears as an artist installing her work. Their interaction lays bare the extent to which Enlightenment thinking is bound up with notions of superiority, how it has led to biopolitics, forced displacement and oppression, and how these mechanisms continue to operate today.

Korean-Dutch artist Sara Sejin Chang (Sara van der Heide, 1977) lives and works in Berlin. She creates films and large-scale immersive installations and also works with textile, painting and text. Her work is presented internationally at biennials and museums and operates at the intersection of decolonial, diasporic, queer and feminist perspectives. Centraal Museum has followed her career for many years and nominated her in 2023 for the Theodora Niemeijer Prijs, which she received in recognition of her oeuvre.

Transmutation is curated by Laurie Cluitmans, former Curator of Contemporary Art at Centraal Museum and now Director of Nest in The Hague.

Laurie Cluitmans, curator of Transmutation:

'Over the past years, Chang and I have collaborated on several occasions. We presented The Garden in the transhistorical research exhibition The Botanical Revolution and, as recently as last year, The Mother Mountain Institute in Good Mom/Bad Mom. Chang's sensory and incantatory films and installations are political and urgent in a way that is entirely her own. Her works reflect, mirror and confront, but also invite collective healing.'

For Transmutation, Ana Teixeira Pinto has written the in-depth essay The Gift That Keeps on Taking, which is available for visitors at Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd.

Following the first survey exhibition by Sara Sejin Chang (Sara van der Heide) in the Netherlands, the GfZK – Museum of Contemporary Art Leipzig will present the artist's first solo exhibition in Germany from November 7, 2026, to February 28, 2027.

From 2022 to 2027, Centraal Museum is presenting a series of exhibitions at Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd. During this period, the historic country estate provides the setting for exhibitions by leading contemporary artists. Each artist is given an open platform to present work and aspirations in dialogue with the historic interiors. In this way, Centraal Museum transforms the estate into a contemporary sanctuary for artistic freedom.

Stichting Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd is an initiative of Stadsherstel Utrecht. The foundation ensures public access to this unique national heritage site and, together with Utrecht-based makers and institutions, develops a compelling programme in the fields of art, science and history.

Transmutation is the eighth exhibition presented by the Centraal Museum at Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd. Previous participating artists include Katja Mater and Evi Vingerling, Rory Pilgrim, Ansuya Blom, Han Schuil, Hannah van Bart, Marijke van Warmerdam and Amie Dicke.

More information about Landhuis Oud Amelisweerd can be found here.