ABOUT
"I see art as an integral part of my life, where the emphasis lies not just on the medium of presentation but on the essence of the artistic expression itself. I strive to achieve the best possible outcome by selecting the most suitable medium for each idea, constantly exploring different 'roads' to express my ideas."
Monique van Kerkhof was born in Nijmegen and spent most of her youth in Maastricht, The Netherlands. At the age of 18, she moved to Amsterdam to study Modern Dance, where she began developing her artistic identity. Her creative path soon expanded to include choreography, video projection, and film.
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At 22, Monique relocated to Spain to study Spanish while continuing her dance training at ‘La Fábrica’ in Barcelona. In 1985, she moved to New York City, where she studied at the Alvin Nikolais Dance School and the Merce Cunningham Studio, where she was awarded a scholarship by Merce Cunningham himself.
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During her time in New York, Monique also worked professionally in Decoration and Floral Design, spending five years with Preston Bailey Design Inc. and collaborating with Bill Ash from Interior Design Magazine.
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In 1990, Monique moved to Japan, where she spent 14 years working for the production company Bird Land as a computer graphics designer. Alongside her design work, she produced numerous performances, installations, and video art projects at architecturally significant locations.
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In 2002, Monique founded MONDESIGN, her own company in Tokyo, where she established herself as a cultural entrepreneur in the visual and performing arts.
Notable works include:
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“Tunnel Vision”, a multimedia art project at Gaigaku Housuiro, the world’s largest underground construction space, broadcast by NHK.
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“Seeing the World Through Different Eyes”, a performance project at the United Nations University in Tokyo.
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“Concrete Water”, a modern opera staged in a water reservoir in Abiko.
She returned to the Netherlands in 2012 and has continued to present interdisciplinary work in both national and international contexts. Recent highlights include:
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Museum Night (2016, 2017, 2022 and 2024 ) at the Dominican Bookstore, Maastricht
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Film Performance Installation at the Dak’Art Biennale 2022, National Theater Sorano and Art Village Ngaparou, Senegal
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Jubilee Theater Performance at Theater aan het Vrijthof, 2017
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Water Tower Schimmert , IBA Parkstad and A2 Tunnel, Maastricht, 2015
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International performances in Chengdu and Beijing, China
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RECENT FILMS​
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​​Short Film: I dream My dream (2023) by MONDESIGN
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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
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Awards film festivals (total 103):
Winner (28)
Finalist (7)
Semi Finalist (9)
Nominee (3)
Honorable mention (5)
Selected (51)
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Winner:
European Cinematography AWARDS (ECA) Amsterdam Website
Experimental, Dance & Music Film Festival Los Angeles and Toronto
Prague International Music Video Awards
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Nominated:
Vienna, Poetry Film Festival, Art Visuals & Poetry Film Festival 2023
Berlin, ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival 2023
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Short Film: Follow Me Down Again (2018) by MONDESIGN
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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.
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Awards film festivals (total 36):
Winner (2)
Finalist (2)
Semi Finalist (2)
Selected (28)
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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