Imagine the past (Verbeeld verleden)

Folkingestraat used to be the center of a vibrant Jewish culture. The synagogue at the end of the street still bears witness to this. But, as everywhere else, the Second World War left a great void in the Jewish community of Groningen. For a long time, little attention was paid to this tragic history. That changed in 1994 when, as part of the Better City Center project, the street was given a thorough refurbishment. As a result of the redesign, the book De Folkingestraat was published in 1996. History of the Jewish Community in Groningen. And because no memorial recalled the deportation of the Jewish inhabitants during the Second World War, the municipality issued an art commission. However, in consultation with the shopkeepers’ association and the residents, it was decided to broaden the assignment to include the general history of Folkingestraat. This is not only to prevent the artwork from becoming too loaded with character, but also because the Folkingestraat is a wonderful example of the flexibility and resilience of a city – in recent decades the street has developed into a lively melting pot of art and art. cultural expressions.

Through a public subscription, the municipality of Groningen called on artists to shed light on the history of the street from different angles in a modest way. Conditions for the formulation of the assignment were that the artwork must not be a spatial object at street level and that it must meet the requirements of sustainability.

A committee, consisting of representatives of the Folkingestraat, the Jewish community and the municipality of Groningen, selected five artists: Allie van Altena, Marijke Gémessy, Peter de Kan, Joseph Semah and Gert Sennema.