Ndikung was appointed by unanimous recommendation of an international selection committee. He is a curator, art critic, author, biotechnologist, and founder and artistic director of SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin.
Curator Charles Esche, a Sonsbeek board member who led the selection committee for the 2020 position, lauded Ndikung’s proposal for the show in a statement to press, and said that Ndikung “often takes a surprising approach to curating, incorporating sound, performative and discursive frames into his projects. What makes his work special, is that he does not approach an exhibition scientifically, but much more as poetry and rhyme. He compares his working method as a curator to a musical jam session.”
The Sonsbeek Exhibition was initiated in 1948 as an effort to help the city of Arnhem recover from heavy damages the suffered during the Second World War at The Battle of Arnhem. Over the years, the presentation has spread from meadow to mall, from church to red light district, from boats and buses to a procession of hundreds of Arnhem residents through the centre of town.
Sonsbeek 2020 is set to run from June 5 to September 13 in 2020.