Portrait art as a mirror of society, that is what the Dutch Portrait Society wants to portray with this edition. For five days, from May 27 through May 31, 2026, Loods 6 on KNSM Island will be filled with work by its own members and a substantial group of guest painters. Theme: ‘Don't be a stranger. That sounds inviting, but at the same time cuts into something that is everywhere right now: polarization, unfamiliarity, the question of who we are to each other. With this anniversary, the Portraiture consciously chooses not to look back, but to make a statement.
Opening on May 28 will be Özcan Akyol, writer and TV presenter. Not a bad choice for a theme about connection and mutual unfamiliarity. Among the guest painters are names you may not yet know but should. Martin Toloku, Sebastián Haquin and Aysen Kaptanoglu are there, as are Stijn ter Braak and Bert Osinga. Domenique Himmelsbach de Vries and Lawrence Bailey are also showing new work. Together with the regular members of the Portrait Society, they form a varied picture of where portraiture stands today.
Shed 6 is not a random location. The former harbor warehouse on KNSM Island has the space and atmosphere that large exhibitions can handle. High ceilings, industrial, no pretense. The Portraiture was also here in 2024, so the choice to return is no coincidence. The combination of the rough building and the serious theme works. You're right there in the middle of the work, not in front of it.
With this anniversary, the Portraiture deliberately chooses not to look back, but to make a statement.
On May 31, art critic Hans den Hartog Jager will close the week with a public symposium. That is where the theme will be further elaborated: what does a portrait say about who we are, who we include and who we exclude? Jeroen Koningen and the Portrait Society have made it a program that goes beyond just looking at beautiful work. For those who want to, at least. But even those who simply stop by for the art will not find themselves empty-handed. The Portrait Biennial 2026 is free, substantive and, for once, also closer to home than you might think.