Collective Compass
Mapping shared paths in and beyond the Zoekjaar
As part of this day-long event's initiatives, together with Sisi Zhang and Jingge Qu, I host performances, talks, screenings, and workshops focused on collectively navigating the Zoekjaar (research year) process for non-EU artists and designers in the Netherlands after graduation.
We aim to create an immediate space for sharing ideas on responding to urgent questions, practical knowledge for applying for a visa, and strategies for managing the emotional demands of co-surviving this “year of search” after graduation, and for actively discussing visas on open ground.
This event has successfully taken place at Available & The Rat in Rotterdam and at de Droog in Amsterdam.
We welcome ideas and collaboration based on this topic and these issues.
Available & The Rat in Rotterdam (Nov, 2025)
- Workshop by: Sisi Zhang (artist and designer) - Navigating the Zoekjaar Landscape
- Talk and Discussion by Chenchen Zhu (PhD candidate in the Department of Cultural Sociology, UVA) and Zhixin Liao (artist and organiser, Supporting Acts at Greylight Projects, Heerlen)
- Documentary Screening: Zoekjaar - A Year of Searching, by Biyi Zhu (artist and filmmaker)
Photos by: Jingge Qu
Droog Amsterdam (Mar, 2026)
- Workshop: Navigating the Zoekjaar Landscape by Sisi Zhang and Jingge Qu (artist and designer)
- Talk and Discussion: Ziyue (Joanna) Lu (PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology, UVA) and Millonaliu (artist duo)
- Performance: A letter unfolding reading by Fileona Dkhar (artist)
- Documentary Screening: Zoekjaar - A Year of Searching by Biyi Zhu (artist and filmmaker)
Image documentation: Jingge Qu