Art with protein

On January 29, the exhibiton "Art With Protein" opened at Groningen's City Hall. The exhibition is a result of fourteen students who were commissioned by the City of Groningen to conduct a semester of intensive research into the meaning of the protein transition. The variety of works on display highlights the students' unique perspectives and approaches, contributing to a rich understanding of the protein transition and its impact on our collective consciousness. 

Exhibition City Hall, Groningen

Alanah, an Illustration Design student, captured the group's journey in her work, from the first performance, to the visit to sustainable farms and the exhibition. Her interest in storytelling is reflected in the chronologically hung drawings. She highlights the value of different perspectives within the group and how this has inspired her to learn more about sustainable living.

Joana also identifies farm visits as a fascinating aspect of the research period:

"An important realisation from this experience is the recognition that embracing a sustainable and vegan lifestyle is more achievable than stories often suggest. I gained insights into different, more sustainable approaches to self-sufficiency within a vegan lifestyle."

What is protein transition?

In a healthy diet, proteins are indispensable. Many people choose animal protein sources, such as meat, dairy and eggs, in their daily diet. As a result, livestock animals lead short lives in horrific conditions, and climate, nature and biodiversity are increasingly damaged. If we choose proteins from plant sources more often, we can bring our diet more in balance with what is good for animals, climate and nature. We call this important shift the protein transition.

Cricket farm

Gijs and Iris advocate consuming crickets as a sustainable alternative to the meat industry. Thus, they experimented with making different dishes using crickets as a source of protein. They hope their project will inspire others to consider different types of animal proteins to reduce the pressure on the current meat system.

As an animal welfare advocate, Chrisje wants her project to showcase the diversity of tofu and break the stigma around it. She stresses that many people perceive tofu as unsavory because of unfamiliarity with its preparation. Her work shows how diverse tofu can be with the right marinades.

The exhibition sheds light on the diversity of personalities, lifestyles and fields of study within the group, illustrating that this topic can have common ground for all of us. The variation in the work on display highlights the students' unique perspectives and approaches, contributing to a rich understanding of the protein transition and its impact on our collective consciousness.

Participating students

Altay Abbasov, Nadine Bolhuis, Joana Catarino Antunes, Johanna Cepeda Hess, Gijs Hennen, Ayla van den Hoed, Iris van Kalsbeek, Kim Naber, Alanah Saunders, Diana Skácelová, Rik Smit, Julia Veenstra, Nynke van der Weit, Chrisje Zinnemers

Teacher: Susanne Luurs