come back to your ___ (nature/culture)

Treehouse NDSM is thrilled to announce the open call for our next exhibition, Come Back to Your ___ (Nature/ Culture) which will take place from 17 September until 11 October 2026.

In the context of current ecological crises, the need to rethink our relationship with the environment feels more urgent than ever. Yet the relationship between humans and nature has never been one of simple separation. Throughout history, agriculture has been closely linked to belief systems. 

Archaeological findings like fertility figurines suggest that some of the earliest human beliefs were tied to the promise of a good harvest. These belief systems functioned as cultural frameworks through which land and nature were cared for and preserved. Over time, humans not only protected nature but actively shaped it, cultivating vineyards, designing parks and even embedding nature into their language, symbolism and social rituals. 

Different societies around the world, and their approaches to nature, shape the land. Traditional Japanese gardens often seek to emulate natural landscapes, whereas in many post-Soviet states, public gardens and parks frequently emphasize geometric order and symmetry. At the same time, the reverse is also true: environments can profoundly influence the development of societies. In the Netherlands, the need to manage water led to the construction of dikes and polders, while Indigenous Australians used cultural burning practices that helped maintain open woodlands and grasslands and supported biodiversity.

These examples illustrate how culture and nature are in constant interaction, continuously shaping and redefining one another through a dynamic process of mutual influence. This relationship forms the starting point for the exhibition. We invite artists to reflect on questions such as: how do nature and culture share the same ground? How has your community shaped the land and how has the land shaped your community?

The exhibition is part of Art Park, an exhibition series launched at Treehouse in 2023 that reflects on urban nature, particularly in the urban environment of Amsterdam-Noord. Each year, we explore a different aspect of urban nature and investigate relevant ways of coexisting with the nature around us.