49m2, year 10, autumn 2025 | Anoek Mensink

Anoek Mensink is a visual artist who often works in a site-specific manner. Public space plays a contextual role in her work: she focuses on places that go unnoticed, from rooftops to forgotten green spaces. In her practice, she explores contrasts – near and far, horizontal and vertical, inside and outside – to shift our perspective on our natural environment. In this process, she actively seeks a relationship with the public and the environment, appealing to multiple senses. In this way, she invites us to rediscover our sense of wonder for the unknown and unnoticed.

For the 49m2 project, Anoek reflects on the question: what happens when we no longer control a piece of nature, but give it back to itself? Instead of claiming the released land, she shifts her gaze upwards – into the air. She builds an installation consisting of a tree trunk with two benches, creating a dynamic between two vertical coordinates of the site. Those who ascend higher gain an overview and can look back on a place that normally just flashes by, while nature beneath our feet continues on its own path.

During her working period, Anoek also conducts sound research on the location. Using various microphones, she records sounds on a macro level: from above to deep in the ground, in varying weather conditions. These sound recordings are processed into a series of episodes that visitors can listen to later. This creates an experience in which people are not the focus, but in which there is space to listen to, experience and rediscover the place itself.