The Hague Netherlands: Inflatable art emerges on a stunning lake in heart of European city in immersive outdoor exhibition open to the public

Inflatable art has been blown up in the heart of a European city, created by four leading Dutch designers. BlowUp Art Den Haag is a three-week immersive outdoor exhibition featuring large-scale, temporary, inflatable artworks throughout The Hague in the Netherlands.  

The art can be seen in the historic centre on the Hofvijver city lake which has the stunning Houses of Parliament in the background. The Houses of Parliament are the oldest ones in use in the world, and are currently under renovation - the bones of a lion were in fact found outside of the buildings during the construction work as once upon a time there used to be a zoo outside.

Mary Hessing, the curator of BlowUp Art The Hague, selected four renowned Dutch design luminaries including Studio Job, Marcel Wanders, Studio Mieke Meijer and Sigrid Calon. Ms Hessing said the project is part of an initiative to “do nice things for the people that live here and for the tourists” and it's the third-year running for the blow up art exhibition. She added that the organisers “need to do something different every year and keep people surprised” and the inflatable art is “open to interpretation for everybody.” 

The inflatable art includes a design in the shape of trees which “invites you to make up your own story” according to Ms Hessing, and a pink inflatable tower stands proud on the lake. The designer behind the pink tower, Sigrid Calon, said she didn’t want the inflatable to look “party or commercial” so she added an extra print to it. She added that she chose the colour pink to perhaps “make the prime minister think that maybe a female should be in the parliament buildings.”

A decorated egg as well as mirrored eggs are also part of the art, created by designer Marcel Wanders. The eggs reflect the visitors of the lake and are portraits of passers-by in the heart of the democracy. 

As I walked down the pathway alongside the lake, I could see many residents and tourists alike stopping to take in the sights of the inflatable art taking pictures and videos. Some stopped to sit down and take a bit more time to admire the art, while others stepped in front of the art to take a selfie. Creating and designing inflatable art for the public, and not just having art tucked away in a museum but bringing it out into the fore, is a great way of getting us involved in seeing design and art more. I think it is a great initiative and brings something extra special to The Hague and its stunning lake in the heart of the city. 

BlowUpArt takes its shape by blowing air into a shell of coated textile. The flexible and light material offers all the freedom to adapt a work of art to the shapes of a statue or building.

The public have until Sunday 2 June the view the inflatable art on the lake in The Hague. It is in a stunning location, in a city that is often overshadowing by its neighbouring cities Amsterdam and Rotterdam. However, there are so many historical and cultural sites to see here and - including the inflatable art - it makes it a truly joyful and charming destination to visit.