Thé Tjong-Khing

He is 92 and still draws every day. From this spring onwards, you can travel with Thé Tjong-Khing (1933) through the drawn universe in which he carried generations along and that brought him worldwide acclaim. Thé: ‘People think I study children very closely, but that’s not the case at all. I simply draw for the child I once was.’

For many years, Thé created illustrations for the stories of others and received several prestigious awards, including the Gouden Penseel, the Woutertje Pieterse Prize and the Max Velthuijs Prize. Later, he also began writing his own stories. In doing so, he draws inspiration from old fairy tales, myths and legends, which he retells in his own surprising way. Many artists have been inspired by Thé. In this exhibition, Pris Roos presents a number of drawings from the book De Toko van mijn ouders, which will be published during the run of the Khing exhibition. In addition, the work of Koen Taselaar reveals unique, immersive worlds. His translation and reinterpretation of symbols, icons and mythical figures forms a bridge to the work of Khing.

Cover image: Thé Tjong-Khing, drawing from Where is the Cake?, 2004