With the series of events titled “Leer je land kennen (Get to Know Your Country)” Erik van Lieshout -member of the Academy of Arts- tried to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas with two special events.

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the Academy of Arts presented Van Lieshout’s latest film, De Gloeiige (the Fen-fire) at the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. With a lecture by prof.Liesbeth van der Grift and moderated by Merlijn Geurts.

As a follow-up to the film, Van Lieshout organized, with the support of the Royal Academy of Sciences,  a special bus trip to De Peel, the peatland in North Brabant that is the central theme of De Gloeiige, on Saturday, June 28, 2025. Guided by the artist, participants -inhabitants of cities- visited the local farming community: The group talked with farmers themselves at various farms. This allowed those interested to experience the film’s themes firsthand and continue the dialogue between art and society, right in the heart of the landscape it explores.