O Denneboom - Koos Buist

For several years now, ESNS and Kunstpunt Groningen have been joining forces for ESNS Art, an initiative aimed at surprising festival-goers with art by local artists. This year, we’ve invited artist Koos Buist to reflect on the potential future. The result is his striking installation O Denneboom, a piece you simply can’t miss during the vibrant ESNS festival. Through this work, Buist reflects on the complex relationship between humanity and nature. The installation will be open for free viewing on January 16th and 17th, 2025, at the Grote Markt during ESNS.

O Denneboom - Koos Buist For ESNS, Koos Buist has created a unique artwork, O Denneboom, which will be prominently displayed on the Grote Markt. With this piece, Buist addresses contemporary issues, using the festival as a platform to raise awareness in a playful way about how we relate to and shape nature. How do we, as humans, position ourselves in relation to nature? How do we manipulate it to our own ends? And how is this reflected in our daily lives?

The Christmas tree brings together much of the complex relationship between humans and nature. A living, growing organism with roots in both ancient myths and our modern traditions, cheerfully adorned with lights in the home during the dark days. Buist adds another story to the life of these trees and connects all the elements into an installation that raises more questions than it provides answers.