From September 1 to 30, 2025, the poetry exhibition Vensterverzen (“Window Verses”) takes place on Anthoniusstraat in Hengelo. The project is an initiative by visual artist and bookmaker Ricardo Liong-a-kong, also known as Bukistan. Poems by eleven different authors are displayed on the windows of eleven houses along the street, featuring works by writers such as Arnon Grunberg, Rozalie Hirs, Sylvia Hubers, Erik Lindner, and Johanneke ter Stege.
On September 14, 2025, from 14:00-16:00 CET, the accompanying publication is launched, with several of the poets giving live readings of their work.
Ricardo Liong-A-Kong (Paramaribo, Suriname, 1953) is a visual artist and bookmaker based in the Netherlands. He moved to the Netherlands in 1972 to study Electrical Engineering at the University of Twente, completing his Master’s degree in 1981 with a thesis titled A Model of the Strain Caused by Human Information Processing. He then pursued fine art at the AKI (Academy of Art and Industry) in Enschede, where he specialized in Painting and Printmaking.
Since the mid-1980s, Ricardo has dedicated himself to creating artist’s books, which he has published under his own imprint, Ambassade van Bukistan, since 1991. His works are held in private collections as well as public institutions, including Museum Meermanno and the National Library of the Netherlands. In 1999, he founded the online Museum of Contemporary Hengelo Art (MHHK), a platform highlighting the work of local visual artists. Ricardo’s multidisciplinary practice encompasses drawing, bookmaking, graphic design, and installations, with a focus on the intersection of language, image, and form.
Date: September 2025
Location: Anthoniusstraat (windows at house numbers 9, 10, 19, 20, 23, 29, 48, 65, 68, and 83) & Berfloweg (window at house number 192), Hengelo
Curator: Ricardo Liong-A-Kong