11 September 2026 - 11 April 2027
Vincen Beeckman
Parade
The work of Vincen Beeckman (1973, Brussels) captures both the fragility of life and the resilience of people and communities. In Vincen Beeckman – Parade, his photographs are brought together with the artworks and stories of residents of Breda. Together with them, he explored the significance of carnival and related traditions.
Who would you wanna be?
From the eleventh of the eleventh – because eleven has traditionally been the number of madness – preparations for carnival begin. Costumes are designed, floats are built, and the excitement grows with every passing week. Seven weeks before Easter, the key to the city is symbolically handed over to Prince Carnival. Then the party really gets underway and, for a week, Breda is transformed into Kielegat. And in this temporary reversal, anything seems possible. Roles blur, fixed rules are cast aside, and people can present themselves in a different light.
Carnival is not just a celebration, but also a social ritual in which questions of identity, differences and connectedness play a part. Similar traditions exist all over the world. For ‘Parade’, photographer Vincen Beeckman explored these traditions together with a diverse range of communities in Breda. From care homes to neighbourhood workshops, participants enriched the project with their ideas, artworks and stories. The question ‘who would you like to be?’ forms the central theme.
Vincen Beeckman
Vincen Beeckman (1973, Brussels) works with communities in places that are often overlooked. He uses photography to bring people together and raise their profile. A subject or form from popular culture often serves as the starting point; from tattoo art at Studio Palermo to the snapshot aesthetic in Les Cracks. In Parade, carnival takes centre stage. This time, his research took him from the local community centre to the Caribbean carnival in Curaçao, and he walked side by side with participants in the Grand Parade in Breda.BredaPhoto
This exhibition is part of BredaPhoto. Your BredaPhoto ticket grants you free entry to the museum. This year’s theme for BredaPhoto is ‘comfort and resilience’. In a world full of contrasts, Parade offers a space for comfort, hope and connection. That is exactly what carnival, in all its forms, has been doing for centuries.
Partners: ONS label Breda, Creatief Centrum ARTenZO Breda, Annahuis, Naaiatelier De Nieuwe Meidoorn, Zorggroep Tuinzigt, Raffy – Egala Zorg.
Knowledge partners: Stichting Kielegat, Kielegats Carnival Museum, BO Diversity, Breda City Archives, BredaPhoto, Stichting Arjati, WIJ – it starts with you, Facilitaire Theaterwerkplaats Breda, Jully Bernardus.
This exhibition was made possible thanks to:
