Explodium Outdoors

'Explodium' stands for exploring on stage and offers an opportunity for young performing artists to develop and present their own work.

Within the theme of cultural identity and culinary stories, around five makers present personal stories about identity, migration, traditions, culinary memories, and community building in the garden of Tolhuistuin!

In a time of increasing polarization, these performers use art as a connecting force and reflect the beauty of the makers' diverse cultural backgrounds.

Explodium is part of the ExploreZ Festival organized by ZID Theater, Amsterdam. From May 28 to June 7, it presents performances, workshops, presentations, and artist talks at various locations throughout the city. Discover the full program at www.explorez.nl!

The participants of this Explodium Outdoors edition were selected through an Open Call, after which they were given the opportunity to further develop their own concepts and performances through inspiring workshops. This has resulted in new material, both collective and individual, which the makers are more than happy to share with you!

Bai Li, dancer and choreographer & Ro-Mí, dancer and model, form a unique duo combining Chinese Martial Arts and dance. Their shared personal history, artistic style, and cultural layering come together in their creative process. Both adopted from China, they carry a dual cultural identity that fundamentally influences their artistic practice.

In this performance, drawing from their individual yet shared stories, they seek a language in which Eastern and Western influences meet.

As an actress, storyteller, theatremaker, and drama teacher, Evîn explores the intersections between language, memory, and identity. She works with multilingual stories, physical expression, and documentary material, often focusing on themes such as resistance, collective memory, and cultural transformation. In ROJ, she explores what happens when a song, a language, and a memory are physically lost. The performance follows a child growing up with songs that shape her sense of home, until they become forbidden and she is forced into a new journey.

"Roj," meaning day and sun, becomes a metaphor for both loss and continuation. In Kurdish, Turkish, English, and Dutch, she attempts to rediscover her memory and voice.

Marthe is a spoken word artist and theatremaker with a love for language, research, and movement/sports. In her artistic practice, she explores subjects such as feminism, identity, politics, and mental health.

During Explodium, she presents a fitness exercise and theatre performance in one. A drill sergeant acting as a ‘manfluencer’ fires ideas at you and drags you along in a playful, physical workout. Beneath this training lies a message regarding existing ideas surrounding masculinity, femininity, and identity.

Halil is a theatremaker and storyteller who weaves personal stories together with societal themes. In Always on the way, he presents a powerful story about identity, inequality, and resilience using poetry, spoken word, mime, and theatre.

Through music, rhythm, and imagery, he takes you on a journey through a vulnerable, confronting and touching performance that sparks conversation.

ZID Theater is een culturele organisatie uit Amsterdam die multidisciplinaire voorstellingen creëert, talentontwikkeling stimuleert en het jaarlijks multidisciplinaire, internationale ExploreZ Festival organiseert. ZID doorbreekt met kunst de muren tussen mensen, culturen en de stad, en biedt aanstormend talent o.a. met een migratie- of vluchtverleden ruimte voor ontwikkeling, begeleiding en een plaats op het podium. Betrokken makers werken in co-creatie met bewoners en lokale gemeenschappen, waardoor professionele, authentieke voorstellingen ontstaan. ZID heeft voor haar werk diverse prijzen ontvangen. In 2020 werd Karolina Spaic, directeur van ZID, benoemd met de Koninklijke Onderscheiding als Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau voor haar bijzondere bijdragen aan cultuur en maatschappij.

Van 28 mei t/m 7 juni zijn er op diverse locaties door de stad voorstellingen, workshops, presentaties en artist talks te beleven als onderdeel van het ExploreZ Festival georganiseerd door ZID Theater. ExploreZ Festival staat voor diversiteit, inclusie, internationale samenwerking en verrassende cross-overs tussen disciplines en gemeenschappen. In 2026 is het thema van ExploreZ ‘Noodzaak als Kompas’, waarin kunst wordt ingezet om urgente vragen van onze tijd te onderzoeken. Makers en publiek verkennen samen thema’s als ongelijkheid, de klimaatcrisis, polarisatie, en uitsluiting. Zij onderzoeken hoe maatschappelijke, persoonlijke en sociale urgentie kan uitgroeien tot een motor voor creativiteit, verbinding en verandering.

Ontdek het hele programma op www.explorez.nl