In terms of themes, Eelke van Willegen fits right in with 750 years of Amsterdam. The water, the sea, wave motion in the broadest sense of the word. The struggle against the ferocity of the water, the victory, and then the euphoria of surfing across the water, just as the people of Amsterdam sailed across the oceans for centuries, forming the basis for our current prosperity. The link to Amsterdam goes even deeper, as Amsterdam has its origins in the “All Saints Flood” of 1170. It is therefore said that Amsterdam was born of a storm. This is also the name of the work on the KunstRAI’s statue square.
