Onderweg naar (t)huis

For generations of Moroccan-Dutch families in Amsterdam Nieuw-West and beyond, the annual car journey from the Netherlands to Morocco was more than just a holiday. It was a yearly ritual. Days on the road with a car full of suitcases, food, cassette tapes, gifts, conversations, and an endless horizon. With the advent of cheap flights, this road trip is becoming less common – a reason to reflect on this experience of togetherness, improvisation, anticipation, and reunion. 

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The exhibition is curated by writer, curator, theater maker, and local resident Abdelkader Benali. He knows this journey from personal experience. Van Eesteren Museum – together with Benali and residents from Nieuw-West – collected personal memories and objects that collectively form a shared memory around this road trip. What stories lie behind important objects, such as postcards, a fishing jacket, or a drill? What did the journey sound, smell, and feel like? 

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Central to the exhibition is a large car installation, designed as a 'capsule of memories'. Additionally, there are audio stories accompanying the various objects, narrated and created by Benali and inspired by his own experiences and those from the community. Finally, the exhibition showcases contemporary work by artists such as Hanane El Ouardani, who capture the journey and the idea of home from a present-day perspective.

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Through stories, photography, sound, and spatial installations, the exhibition brings personal memories together into a shared narrative about migration, family ties, mobility, and the experience of home. 

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Abdelkader Benali is a writer and theater maker. He received the Gouden Ganzenveer for his contribution to the Dutch language. Benali lives with his family in Nieuw-West and is going on holiday to Morocco by car this year.