Spui25, Amsterdam, Netherlands
9 September 2025
Book launch
With Moments of Meaning-Making, cultural theorist, video artist, and writer Mieke Bal presents her fiftieth book. Published by Valiz, this remarkable volume is both her most personal and her most associative: an alphabet of concepts, memories, and reflections shaped by a lifetime of teaching, writing, creating, and thinking.
Instead of composing a conventional autobiography or academic retrospective, Bal traces her intellectual and personal journey through a series of terms—Anachronism, Becoming, Criticism, Friendship, among many others—that together weave a rich web of meaning. Enhanced by photographs from Lena Verhoeff and a design by Lotte Lara Schröder, the book also offers a distinctly visual and tactile experience.
To mark the publication, several artists, writers, and scholars will respond to Bal’s work through the prism of their own practices and fascinations. They will reflect on how her presence and ideas have shaped their thinking, collaborations, or personal development. Contributions include Marlene Dumas, Tingting Hui, Maaike Meijer, Abram de Swaan, Roos Theuws, and Mieke Bal herself.
You can access the recording via this link.