On view from November 23 to May 4, 2025

Storyworld shows you the work of comic book creator and illustrator Peter van Dongen on Indonesia, where a significant part of his family history lies. In the Spotlight exhibition, in addition to original pages and sketches from his comic classics Rampokan and Familieziek, you will also see Van Dongen's family photos and notes. In other work, such as watercolors and illustrations, he shows the beauty of Indonesia.

Peter van Dongen was born in Amsterdam (1966), but also has an unbreakable (family) bond with Indonesia. This makes him well suited to tell stories about the Dutch colonization of Indonesia and its consequences. Driven by personal curiosity, Van Dongen looks at this history from different angles, including in the graphic novels Rampokan (1998 and 2004) and Familieziek (2017). These stories stand out for their clear artwork and intricate storylines, and have since been translated into Indonesian, French, German, English and Spanish.

Rampokan and Familieziek
Rampokan is personal work in every sense. To create this two-part graphic novel, the illustrator immersed himself for thirteen years in books and archives to create a story about the latter days of the Dutch colonization of Indonesia. In the process, he viewed events through the eyes of both cultures. Rampokan was awarded several prizes, including the Prix du Lion of the Belgian Comic Strip Center. For Familieziek, Van Dongen adapted Adriaan van Dis' novel of the same name into a graphic novel. He worked for nine years on this story about complex family ties that are inextricably linked to the history of Indonesia.

75 years of Indonesia's transfer of sovereignty
On December 27, 1949, the Netherlands transferred sovereignty to Indonesia, ending Dutch colonial rule in the East Indies after 350 years. Indonesia had declared independence itself earlier, on Aug. 17, 1945. In the intervening period, the Netherlands tried in vain and violently to preserve the colony. This struggle forms the backdrop for the diptych Rampokan. December 27, 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty by the Netherlands. In 2023, the Netherlands finally recognized Indonesia's independence on Aug. 17, 1945.

Peter van Dongen
As a cartoonist, Peter van Dongen made his debut at the age of 16 in magazine De Balloen and went on to publish comics in magazines and several books. Since 2018, he has been one of the illustrators of the popular French comic series Blake and Mortimer. Van Dongen won several (oeuvre) awards for his work, such as the 2018 Comic Book Society Prize. This year saw the publication of the survey book Voldongen, a visual biography of Van Dongen's oeuvre over forty years.