In its report the jury states:

“Oerlemans’ multifaceted and colourful oeuvre is humorous, poetic and critically engaged – always surprising and deeply connected to society. Her work demonstrates a sharp eye for her surroundings. A truly deserving laureate of the Wilhelminaring 2025.”

Established in 1998, the Wilhelminaring is presented every two years to a leading Dutch sculptor, shining a spotlight on the strength of sculpture in the Netherlands. The award includes a specially designed ring, a solo exhibition at CODA Museum, a commissioned poem and a permanent public sculpture in Apeldoorn’s Sprengenpark.

About Hester Oerlemans

Hester Oerlemans studied at the Arnhem Academy of Art and the School of Graphic Design in Eindhoven. She currently lives and works in Arnhem and Berlin, and teaches at BEAR BA Fine Art, ArtEZ Arnhem. Her work is held in the collections of Museum Arnhem, collection De Groen and the Fenix Collection in Rotterdam. Alongside her autonomous practice, Oerlemans has realized public art projects both in the Netherlands and abroad. In 2014, her Berlin-based exhibition and project space OZEAN was recognized by the Berliner Senat für Kultur.

The jury of the fourteenth Wilhelminaring (comprising of Feico Hoekstra, Rutger Pontzen, Maria Roosen and Mirjam Westen) commends the way in which Oerlemans has, since the 1990s, employed public space as her artistic canvas. Whether a young woman on a swing in a pond in Apeldoorn, a scrolling light installation playfully commenting on consumer culture in Dordrecht, or a colourful tribute to hospital staff in Nijmegen, her work is consistently marked by wit, humour and a sharp observation of society.

Ring design by Nhat-Vu Dang

The ring specially created for Hester Oerlemans is being designed by Nhat-Vu Dang, a Dutch-Vietnamese jewellery artist based in Berlin and Hanoi. While studying at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie (graduating in 2011), Dang became fascinated by contemporary jewellery. His practice explores how jewellery can process personal history while offering healing, connection and empowerment to the wearer. In his search for identity, Dang creates eclectic collections distinguished by their innovative and whimsical clasps, which have become his signature. Represented by Galerie Rob Koudijs until 2024, his work is shown primarily in museums and galleries, though he also engages with the fashion world. His practice seeks to balance the conventional and unconventional, building bridges between contemporary and commercial (fashion) jewellery.

Carin Reinders, general director of CODA: “Like Hester Oerlemans, Dang is concerned with the charged meanings of form and material. His ability to translate cultural layering, vulnerability and identity into wearable objects resonates closely with Oerlemans’ themes of displacement, humanity and poetic precision. Their shared roots in Berlin and their refined aesthetic-conceptual approach make this collaboration not only logical, but also full of promise.”

Foto: © Mike Dhondt

Award ceremony

The Wilhelminaring 2025 will be presented on Sunday 5 October at 2.30 p.m. at CODA. Following a word of welcome from Carin Reinders (general director of CODA), Marie Jeanne de Rooij (chair of the Wilhelminaring Foundation) will offer a brief introduction to this oeuvre award. Jury member Mirjam Westen will then set out the jury’s reasoning for awarding the prize to Hester Oerlemans. Hester Alberdingk Thijm (Director of the AkzoNobel Art Foundation) will speak about Oerlemans’ versatile, often playful and socially engaged practice. Carin Reinders will then introduce jewellery artist Nhat-Vu Dang, who will provide insight into his specially designed Wilhelminaring for Hester Oerlemans. The presentation of the ring to the artist will be made by councillor Peter Messerschmidt, after which the laureate herself will take the floor.

About the prize

The Wilhelminaring is a national oeuvre award, established in 1998, and presented biennially to a leading Dutch sculptor. It is among the most important art prizes in the Netherlands. The award consists of the specially designed Wilhelminaring, a commissioned poem, a solo exhibition at CODA Museum Apeldoorn, and a permanent public sculpture for Apeldoorn’s Sprengenpark.

History

The Wilhelminaring is inspired by the Kaiserring, awarded annually by the Mönchehaus Museum Goslar (Germany) to an international visual artist. Henry Moore was the first recipient in 1975. The Wilhelminaring was first presented in 1998 to Joop Beljon at Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn, on the occasion of the centenary of Queen Wilhelmina’s inauguration on 6 September 1898.

Water and Fire

As one of the initiators of the Wilhelminaring, Karla de Boer-Gilberg (1941–2024) proposed inviting leading Dutch poets to honour sculptors with poems inspired by public artworks. This resulted in the unique series Water and Fire. Renowned Dutch poets contributed verses to accompany sculptures in public space that moved them. The design of the series is equally distinctive: the poet’s handwritten text, printed on translucent paper, is overlaid onto the photograph of the sculpture.

www.wilhelminaring.nl | www.hesteroerlemans.com | www.nhatvudang.com