EXboot / De zachtheid van een vreemdeling – Hazel van Berkel

The loneliness that winter can bring was the driving force behind Hazel van Berkel's exhibition "De zachtheid van een vreemdeling". Comprising dozens of lost gloves, this installation portrays the hidden connection between people in times of retreat and isolation. Van Berkel picked up the gloves just as one might hold another's hand in times of need. In this way, the gloves become more than mere lost objects; they become a source of support and comfort in difficult moments.\n\nThroughout the exhibition, Van Berkel treats the gallery space as an archive, meticulously organising, numbering, and even ironing the found gloves into shape.\n\nEXboot is not the final destination for this consoling collection. Van Berkel invites visitors to select a glove to collect at the end of the exhibition (at the onset of spring). The recipient can then choose whether to return the glove to its original location—indicated by the attached coordinates—or to hold on to the comforting object a little longer.