ABOUT
Seeing art as an integrated part of my life and the emphasis, being not only on the medium of presentation but on the essence of art. I try to achieve the best accomplishment by choosing the most suitable medium and to find different ‘roads’ to express my ideas.
​
Monique van Kerkhof was born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Most of her youth she lived in Maastricht, she moved to Amsterdam at an age of eighteen. She left for Spain, 22 yrs. old to study Spanish and continuing dancing in Barcelona at ‘La Fabrica’. In 1985 she moved to New York City studying at the ‘Alvin Nikolais Dance School’ and at the ‘Merce Cunningham Studio’ (She received a scholarship from Merce Cunningham)
In New York, Monique’s professional Decoration/Floral Design experience continued. She worked 5 years for Preston Bailey Design Inc. and for Bill Ash from Interior Design Magazine.
​
She moved to Japan in 1990, worked 14 years for a Japanese production company: Bird Land as a (computer graphic) designer, in the meantime she produced performances, installations, projection/video art and exhibitions at unique architectural locations as:
* A multimedia art project at world biggest underground construction space ‘Gaigaku Housuiro; ‘Tunnel Vision` broadcast on News NHK
* Art Performance Project at the United Nation University; ‘Seeing the World Through Different Eyes`
* A Modern Opera in a reservoir in Abiko; ‘Concrete water`
In Tokyo 2002, Monique started her own company MONDESIGN as a cultural entrepreneur in visual and performing arts.
After 30 years living abroad, Monique moved back to the Netherlands in 2012 and continue her work in performances and film.
Her recent performances:
Museum night 2022, 2017 & 2016 at the Dominican Bookstore
Film Performance Installation Dak ‘Art Biennale 2022, National Theater Sorano, Dakar
And Art Village Ngaparou, Thies, Senegal
Theater at the Vrijthof Theater, Jubilee 2017
Water Tower Schimmert, IBA Parkstad 2016
A2 Tunnel performance 2016 and shows in Chengdu and Beijing, China
Her recent films, both produced by MONDESIGN.
* ‘I dream My dream’ 2023.
Exploring, loving and dreaming
Unearthing freedoms, instinctively
with consciousness and unconsciousness intertwined
Circles define as if nothing be something.
Some moves for true nearness, I give ground.
but my dream after the real you, is real
Awards film festivals (total 103):
Winner (28)
Finalist (7)
Semi Finalist (9)
Nominee (3)
Honorable mention (5)
Selected (51)
​
Winner:
European Cinematography AWARDS (ECA) Amsterdam Website
Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival Los Angeles and Toronto
Prague International Music Video Awards
​
Nominated:
Vienna, Poetry Film Festival, Art Visuals & Poetry Film Festival 2023
Berlin, ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival 2023
* ‘Follow Me Down Again’ 2018
Based on the story of Icarus and 'Hell is the place where nothing connects'. T.S. Eliot
Icarus learned to fly from his father Daedalus, but Icarus fell, and he died. His story is a symbol of our society. We also want to fly higher. Everything must go faster, further and better so we lose contact with ourselves and others. We come in the situation that Elliot sketched: 'Hell is where nobody and nothing connects'. We realize that we always will have to fall to come closer to ourselves. It is buffeted by the ups and downs of life. The true self is not centered on the demands of ego but on higher values: love, truth, creativity, and compassion. My own learning experience, I look for interesting connections between things (books) and to feel, share with others. Separation is at an end called: NOTHING.
Awards film festivals (total 36):
Winner (2)
Finalist (2)
Semi Finalist (2)
Selected (28)
​​
Awards Winner Best Director and Best film, Film festival MWIFF, Bombay, India
And Winner Music Film in Film festival RTF, Lagos, Nigeria
CV
2024 Opening Ceremony Performance Film festival: Cannes Indie Shorts Awards, Cannes, France
2024 Poetry Event, Performance: at Art festival Kunst plateau, Margraten, The Netherlands
2024 Opening Ceremony Performance Film festival: Ficimad, Madrid, Spain
2024 Exhibition Installation, Video projection: Timeline at Entre Deux, Maastricht
2024 Performance, Theater play, Installation, Projection: Museumnight, Bookstore Dominican, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2023 Film: I dream My dream, Produce and directed by Mondesign, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2022 Exhibition, Video Projection: I dream My dream, Dak’art Biennale, Dakar National Theater, Dakar, Senegal
2022 Exhibition, Video Projection: I dream My dream, Art village Ngaparou, Thies, Senegal
2022 Performance, Installation: I dream My dream, Museumnight 2022, Bookstore Dominicanen, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2021 Theaterplay: Sinbad, collaboration kids’ theaterplay, KunstZacademie, Antwerpen, Belgium
2021 Theaterplay: Shakespeare online, Midsummer night, KunstZacademie, Antwerpen, Belgium
2020 Presentation, Danceperformance: PechaKucha Night 2020, Filmtheater Lumiere, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2018 Film: Follow Me Down Again, Mondesign, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2018 Film, Award Winner: Follow Me Down Again, Best Film and Best Filmdirector, Filmfestival MWIFF, Mondesign, Mumbay, India
2018 Film, Award Winner: Follow Me Down Again, Winner Music Film Award, Reel Time Filmfestival, Mondesign, Lagos, Nigeria
2018 Video Projection: Week of the carefree child, Xonar, Radar, Mondrian, Brightlands, Heerlen, The Netherlands
2018 Performance, Installation: Undergo, Atelier Peter Segler, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2017 Performance, Installation: Later is Now?, Museumnight 2017, Bookstore Dominicanen, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2017 Performance, Installation: The Future of the Book, Theatre Vrijthof, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2016 Design, Presentation: FLOWER DESIGN, Dutch Embassy, Skopje, North Macedonica
2016 Performance, Installation: FOLLOW ME DOWN AGAIN, Museumnight 2016, Bookstore Dominicanen, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2015 Performance, Installation: Watertower, De Reus van Schimmert, Monumentendag, Schimmert,, Parkstad Limburg, The Netherlands
2015 Presentation, Danceperformance: Pechakucha Night 2015, Fangsuo Commune Chengdu, Chengdu, China
2015 Performance, Installation: A2 TUNNEL, Groene Loper, Monumentendag, Centraal Plan Buro, Zuiderlicht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2015 Performance, Exhibition: Opening Fashionshow Springcollection, Mixcity, Chengdu, China
2015 Presentation, Curating: Curating: Masterplan Film Talent, Limburg, DUTCH DAY CREATIVITY CHENGDU, Chengdu, China
2014 Performance, Installation: Fashioned My Way, FASHIONCLASH, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2014 Performance, Exhibition: VOETSTAPPEN IN HET GRAS, EXPOA2, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2012 Performance, Installation: Two Times Twice, OAG, The German Goethe House, Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan
2010 Theaterplay: 39, my home is lost, Yokohama Theater, Yokohama, Japan
2010 Design, Fashionshow: ADVANCED FLORAL DECORATION DESIGN, Fashion, Cohim Design Academy, Beijing, China
2009 Danceperformance: ROCK CHALLENGE concert, at Cultural Hall, Performance/ Visual Art School Mondesign, Yokohama, Japan
2009 Danceperformance, Video Projection: Dancing4Kids, Benefit show, Dance Fusion Tokyo, Tokyo Church, Tokyo, Japan
2009 Poetry Performance: At the Dickens, Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan
2009 Danceperformance, Video Projection: Dancing4Kids, Benefit show, Dance Fusion Tokyo, Tokyo Church, Tokyo, Japan
2008 Music concert: ENCORE, MONIQUE’S ORIGINAL SONGS, A benefit dinner/Tokyo International Player, Tokyo, Japan
2008 Poetry Performance: Treasure Bar, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
2007 Performance, Installation: Run for the Cure, Goto Flower Atelier, Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan
2007 Film: Dance Video Documentary: Tunnelvision, Tunnelvision 50 min, The Making Of 20 min., Tokyo, Japan
2006 Performance, Installation: Tunnel vision, Gaikakuhousuiro, Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan
2006 Performance, Installation: Tokyo University of Science, Noda Campus, Noda, Chiba, Japan
2006 Publicity: Tunnel vision, broadcast at NHK News, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
2005 Danceperformance: Japanese tradition Kabuki Dance, Nihon Buyo, Culture Hall, Abiko, Chiba, Japan
2004 Danceperformance: Japanese tradition Kabuki Dance, Nihon Buyo, Culture Hall, Abiko, Chiba, Japan
2004 Danceperformance: DANCE/ART VIDEO ’Nigorie’, Mejiro, Tokyo, Japan
2003 Performance, Installation: Seeing the World Through Different Eyes, The UNU, Shibuya,, Tokyo, Japan
2002 Performance, Exhibition: Cor Cordis, Atelier E.R. Molenaar, Yokohama, Japan
2002 Film: VIDEO ART TAPE: Cor Cordis, Mondesign, Tokyo, Japan
2002 Publicity: Cor, Cordis, short documentary, Broadcast at T.V. Kanagawa, Kanagawa, Japan
2002 Danceperformance: Japanese tradition Kabuki Dance, Nihon Buyo, Culture Hall, Abiko, Chiba, Japan
2001 Film: DOCUMENTARY, First Published Picture Book, Cambodia, Phom-Penh, Cambodia
2001 Danceperformance: JOMON, Gyouda, Saitama, Japan
2001 Performance, Installation: CONCRETE WATER, Abiko, Chiba, Japan
1999 Publicity: Video Tapes Archived, by Montevideo, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1999 Film: VIDEO ART: SECOND MOVE, Mondesign, Tokyo, Japan
1996 Design: FLORAL DESIGN, Hyatt Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
1995 Exhibition: Today Dutch Art, at Art Harumi, Dutch Embassy, Harumi, Tokyo, Japan
1994 Performance, Installation: SYNESTHESIA, Clay Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
1993 Performance, Installation: First move at Clay Gallery,, Clay Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
1993 Film: VIDEO ART / RELEASE: FIRST MOVE, Mondesign, Tokyo, Japan
1992 Film: Time of waste, waste of time, TNAE Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
1992 Publicity: VIDEO ART TAPES Distribution, Bought by Miyagi Prefectural Museum., Sendai, Japan
1992 Design: FLORAL DESIGN, Ryokan, Yaguy-No-Sho, Salon Room, Izu-shi, Shizuoka, Japan
1991 Publicity: VIDEO ART TAPES Distribution, Video Distribution by Scan Process Art Inc., Tokyo, Japan
1991 Film: VIDEO ART TAPES Screenings, Image Forum, Yotsuya, Tokyo, Japan
1990 Performance, Installation: 0.25 POLYETHYLENE, Downtown Community Television, New York City, USA
1990 Film: VIDEO ART: GARBAGE, Mondesign, New York City, USA
1990 Publicity: VIDEO ART TAPES, screenings, The Screening Series at D.C.T.V., New York City, USA
1990 Publicity: VIDEO ART TAPES, Broadcast, Southwest Alternate Media Project, The Territory, Houston, Texas, USA
1989 Design: FLORAL DESIGN, TIFFANY PARTIES, Preston Bailey Inc., New York City, USA
1988 Performance, Installation: 16 INCHES, Studio Orensanz, New York City, USA
1988 Film: Traces in space and time, Mondesign, New York City, USA
1988 Film: Showed at The Screening Series at D.C.T.V., Downtown Community Television, New York City, USA
1987 Danceperformance, Installation: PARTS OF LIVE, At 584 Broadway, New York City, USA
1987 Danceperformance: BAROQUE BLITS, The collective for living cinema, New York City, USA
1986 Design: FLORAL DESIGN, MODERN BRIDE MAGAZINE, Preston Bailey Inc., New York City, USA
1986 Film: Release VIDEO Art: SUBWAY GHOST, Mondesign, New York City, USA
1985 Film: Release VIDEO ART: GRAY CONCRETE, Mondesign, New York City, USA