Skin - Shades of Palms

Especially for the Yes College and KC Aquamarijn, Nynke Koster designed the artwork Shades of Palms.
The artwork represents connection and inclusivity; not only between the two schools, but also among the students themselves.

The schools are located on Donker Curtiusstraat and Albardastraat. Donker Curtius inspired Nynke in developing the concept of the artwork.
Dirk Donker Curtius (1792–1864) was a Dutch minister who acted as a liberal opponent to the rule of Kings Willem I and Willem II.
He worked alongside Thorbecke on the constitutional revision of 1848, which laid the foundation for our current parliamentary democracy.
From that point on, it was no longer the King but the ministers who were responsible for government policy.
Article 1 of the Constitution has since read: “All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated equally in equal cases.
Discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, political opinion, race, sex, disability, sexual orientation or on any other grounds whatsoever shall not be permitted.”

Unfortunately, discrimination still exists, including in schools.
That is why Nynke decided to create an artwork in various skin tones.
Each color appears with equal frequency, making each one equally important.
Inspired by Pantone’s skin tone guide, Nynke developed the colors in collaboration with a ceramics studio Struktuur68 in The Hague.

Nynke created the artwork together with the students of both schools. In December 2022, she and her team cast the hands of 900 children.
These hand casts were enlarged using a 3D scanner and then 3D printed into 10x10 cm squares.
Molds were made from these squares to eventually fire the tiles in ceramic.
The focus of the hand imprint is on the palm, and each tile resembles a small landscape, much like those found on The Hague’s beaches.

Now, 3,000 tiles hang throughout YES College and KC Aquamarijn, linking the two institutions together.
Arranged in Tetris-like patterns—based on Nynke’s own memories of primary school.
The skin-toned tiles spread through the hallways.