Tip Off

Twice a year, we host Tip Off, a gathering where young artists come together to discuss pressing questions in a relaxed, collaborative setting. Held around the dinner table, at Melkweg Expo, the goal is to foster a space where everyone can help one another, exchange ideas, and share knowledge. We select a relevant topic in advance that resonates with emerging visual artists.

This edition’s theme is: From Graduation to Grounding – How Do We Carry Our Stories into the World?

Leaving school often means stepping into new spaces where our work meets broader audiences, institutions, and expectations. How do young artists navigate this transition? How do personal stories, embodied experiences, and artistic choices hold power in shaping a professional path?

Evening timetable:
18:00 -18:30 Walk-in
18:30- 19:00 Start diner
19:00- 20:00 Introduction and conversation with the guests
20:00 -21:00 Open for conversation/sharing work/situations and after drinks

The event will feature two guests prepared to share their insights and experiences within the group discussion, open also for the community in the audience:

Iyanla Etnel
Iyanla graduated this year from the Utrecht School of the Arts and is part of the Arty Party Photography Graduates exhibition with the experimental and poetic film ‘Kari Den Fowru Na Oso’. In the film, she explores physical autonomy, memories and the silent traces of colonial exploitation. The film moves between different generations, between the present and the past, and between what is visible and what can be felt beneath the surface.

Zoë Dankert
Zoë Dankert is a poet, art critic and audio producer. Her poetry has been published in Het Liegend Konijn and nY. Her essays, reviews and interviews have appeared in Boekman, De Witte Raaf, Metropolis M and NRC. She has created podcast series about graduating from art school, Voor de sprong (2025) and about working conditions in the arts sector, Werktitel (2021-2022). In 2025, she was selected for the deBuren writing residency.

In an intimate collaborative group setting around the dinner table, where everyone can contribute, these guests will spark the conversation by reflecting on their practices and what it means to position yourself as an artist after graduation. The conversation will be guided by moderator Isabel Sheridan. Together, the group will explore themes of grounding, visibility, vulnerability, and agency as makers entering the field.

After their introductions, there will be space for broader discussion, where all participants can share their thoughts, introduce their work for feedback, or ask questions about navigating life after graduation.

This programme is supported by the Mondriaan Fund.