[Exhibition] 'Lens on law: Edges of proximity'

The T.M.C. Asser Instituut and the Royal Academy of Art The Hague (KABK) proudly present 'Lens on law: Edges of proximity' – a collective exhibition that explores the intersection of international law and visual arts. Opening on Friday 28 February 2025, the show in West Den Haag features work by three emerging photography artists who have collaborated with international law researchers to artistically reflect on complex legal concepts.

The exhibition by three 4^th year KABK photography students, Daria Radu, Anastasia Troshkova and Salome Erni, tackles, questions and translates systems of justice, legal frameworks and institutions of juridical power. It presents three very distinct perspectives on international legal topics, that were developed during a three-month artist in residency programme at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, a research centre for international and European law based in The Hague, International City of Peace and Justice. The residency, inspired by the Asser Institute's research agenda "Rethinking public interests in International and European Law" and celebrating the Asser Institute's 60th anniversary, aims to create greater understanding and engagement with international and European law through visual storytelling.

Tickets for the grand opening on 28 February

In her work ‘[RESTRICTED]’, Daria Radu addresses the architecture of international legal institutions in The Hague, demystifying these spaces by highlighting their human elements and questioning their accessibility to the public. Daria was granted access to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and documented the metaphorical cracks of the seemingly perfect buildings, drawing attention to the mundane and unnoticed. While justice is destined for everyone, international law is a construct covered in intricate layers of inaccessibility, she concludes.

Anastasia Troshkova similarly explores proximity and distance in her work ‘A Testimony of Birdwatching’, where she investigates the role of consumer drones in modern warfare and international law. Her work delves into the visual function of small, manoeuvrable ‘first-person view’ (FPV) drones - both as contemporary cameras and as tools for remote-controlled killing. While Anastasia previously used drones for photography, video-making, and entertainment, she now focuses on footage widely shared on the internet - captured by drones shortly before their deadly attacks. Using a Polaroid camera, she challenges the distance and the detached gaze that drones create between reality, the operator, and the spectator. The scenography is crafted by Boris Steiner.

Salome Erni works with the visual traces of Case No. ARB/24/44, an international arbitration between a gas company and the Netherlands which was filed in October 2024. The work not only speaks about the gas exploitation controversy in Groningen, but also about the designed inaccessibility of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) arbitrations and a world where states are often complicit with companies when the revenues are high enough, until the people pressure them to reconsider. By borrowing the language of activism, Salome tackles the abstract postcolonial frameworks of international dispute settlement and asks the audience: Where is the public interest? 

SAVE THE DATE - On Thursday 13 March, West Den Haag, located in the former American Embassy, will host a closing event with the artists and speakers from the Asser Institute and the KABK to talk about their perspectives on art and international law. More information will follow soon.

About Cultuurhaven and West Den Haag
Cultuurhaven is a new platform aimed at fostering connections between city residents and the established cultural field. Through collaboration and exchange across various cultural levels, the project promotes a more inclusive, accessible, and dynamic arts sector in The Hague’s Museumkwartier. Cultuurhaven is organised by West Den Haag, located in the former US embassy. 

Do you have ideas or want to learn more? Get in touch with Chloë van Diepen at chloe@westdenhaag.nl