Illustration Pavilion SPOORPARK TILBURG | Illustrada x Playgrounds 2026
For Playgrounds Illustrada 2026, I created a large-scale illustrated world for the Illustration Pavilion in Tilburg’s Spoorpark.
The pavilion was designed as a place to slow down, wander around and get lost in the details. At first glance, it is a colourful and playful world filled with shapes, characters and objects inspired by the circus theme of Circolo and the theme 'Slice of Life'. But underneath that cheerful surface, there is another message waiting to be discovered.
I was given the freedom to bring my own story into the pavilion. As I am currently experiencing different forms of profound and recent loss, I chose to make the work about grief — my own world of grief, and what it feels like to move through it. I wanted to approach grief in an open, accessible and light-hearted way, without taking away from its weight. The circus became a metaphor for the mask we sometimes wear: colourful and lively on the outside, while something completely different may be happening underneath. As you step inside the pavilion, that mask slowly begins to come off.
I created a series of textures by hand, carefully matching them to the feeling and emotion of the grief I've been experiencing.
On the back, the project continued as an XXXL colouring page of 8,5 meters wide, inviting visitors to become part of the artwork themselves.
Seeing my illustrations leave the screen and take over an entire public space was incredibly special — turning drawing into something you could walk around, explore and interact with. 


Link to the Playgrounds article.

For Illustrada Playgrounds 2026, I created the poster design and visual identity for this year’s edition.

Photography: Willeke Machiels
September 2026
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