Nieuwe Vide hosts Exhibition De Ontmaskerde Macht (The Unmasked Power) during Stripdagen Haarlem 2025
This year marks 80 years of freedom. But for whom? During Stripdagen Haarlem 2025, Nieuwe Vide will host the exhibition De Ontmaskerde Macht (The Unmasked Power). This exhibition focuses on the theme of 80 years of liberation and highlights how cartoonists around the world confront oppression, censorship, and abuse of power. Their work is a powerful plea for freedom of expression.
The exhibition was originally curated in 2022 by the Haarlem-Mutare city partnership. De Ontmaskerde Macht (The Unmasked Power) brings together the work of 15 international cartoonists who use sharp visual commentary to question the state of freedom. Through a single image, these critical cartoonists offer poignant analyses of political and social issues.
The exhibition consists of 18 large panels (A0 format) printed on honeycomb cardboard and 15 smaller panels (A2 format) on forex, each displaying a striking cartoon. It was first shown during Stripdagen Haarlem 2022 and has since traveled to venues including the Akerk in Groningen, the library in Den Bosch, and a cartoon conference in Ghent. It will next be on view at the University of Groningen on May 5. Unfortunately, the themes explored remain just as relevant as they were then—disturbingly unchanged and deeply topical.
Democracy, in our view, can only exist when there is room for dialogue between differing perspectives. Writers, journalists, and cartoonists across the globe are actively engaged in the search for truth. As images become increasingly central in our society, press freedom—for both cartoonists and journalists—is facing mounting pressure.
In 2022, Dik Bol organized this exhibition during the Haarlem Stripdagen. Together with Tjeerd Rooijaards from Cartoon Movement and Anita Brus, he selected the works of fifteen international artists and cartoonists. Among them were renowned cartoonists Jonathan Zapiro from South Africa, Ramón Esono Ebalé from Equatorial Guinea, and Pedro X Molina from Nicaragua. All three have been awarded the prestigious Courage in Cartooning Award by Cartoonists Rights Network International. Their work proves that the pen can be mightier than violence.
This exhibition is now three years old. One would hope that the issues addressed in these cartoons had since become outdated—old news ready to be tossed in the recycling bin. That the world had moved forward and the injustices so sharply drawn had been resolved. Sadly, this is not the case. More than three years later, the themes of these cartoons are still painfully relevant.
The exhibition is open on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May from 12:00 to 17:00.
Extra program
During the exhibition, interviews recorded during the 2022 edition of Stripdagen will be screened in Nieuwe Vide’s film room. Additionally, a selection of works will be displayed in the shopping center of Schalkwijk as part of Stripdagen.
Dik Bol, initiator of De Ontmaskerde Macht (The Unmasked Power), will give a presentation about the background of the project (time TBD).
Following the talk, there will be a guided tour in collaboration with Kees van Leeuwen, Amnesty International, and Sporen van Slavernij Haarlem. The tour will start at Nieuwe Vide and end at the Koepel (time TBD).
May 21st Leyla Ali gives a workshop, Characters of Freedom (see underneath this text)
Nieuwe Vide will also be present during Stripdagen with a booth at De Koepel, featuring work from various collectives, including the Young Feminist Collective from Haarlem and other art collectives focused on comics and zines.
– Register via Eventbrite
Characters of Freedom by Leyla Ali is a drawing workshop where we can explore what freedom looks like through character design.We will create original characters that represent different forms of liberation—personal, political, or imaginary.
Participants explore the theme of freedom by designing original characters that embody liberation. We’ll reflect on what freedom means personally and politically. Participants of Teken Or Leave It will translate emotions, ideas, or lived experiences into visual storytelling.
By the end, everyone will have created their own “Character of Freedom” to share and discuss. You don’t need experience, it is open to all levels and all drawing styles.About Leyla AliLeyla is an illustrator with a love for primary colors and bold lines. She loves to work on social justice projects, film and animation festivals. Her favorite thing on earth is to create characters and to experiment with different materials, and her last obsession is animating characters and learning how to tattoo. Last year, Leyla Ali participated in the Stripdagen exhibition at Nieuwe Vide as a member of the collective Dit Lichaam van Ons.
About Leyla Ali
Leyla is an illustrator with a love for primary colors and bold lines. She loves to work on social justice projects, film and animation festivals. Her favorite thing on earth is to create characters and to experiment with different materials, and her last obsession is animating characters and learning how to tattoo. Last year, Leyla Ali participated in the Stripdagen exhibition at Nieuwe Vide as a member of the collective Dit Lichaam van Ons.
Open: 24&25.05
Saturday & Sunday – 12:00 – 17:00
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Tour date will be announced
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Participating Artists
The exhibition features work by fifteen international cartoonists:
Vladimir Kazanevsky – Ukraine
Hossein Rezaei – Afghanistan
Pedro X Molina – Nicaragua
Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro) – South Africa
Oleksiy Kustovsky – Ukraine
Homa Eskandari – Iran/Netherlands
Anne Derenne – France
Ramón Esono Ebalé – Equatorial Guinea
Doaa Eladl – Egypt
Marian Kamensky – Austria
Kursat Zaman – Turkey
Galym Boranbayev – Kazakhstan
Ghost Arasanta – Indonesia
Zach – Philippines
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The 2025 edition of this exhibition is a collaboration with, among others, Amnesty International and the Haarlem-Mutare City Link Foundation, hosted by Nieuwe Vide Artspace.
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Image: Homa Eskandari