HKU alumni explore identity, unity and what remains hidden

06 november 2025

Yesterday the exhibition Invisible Thread of Kinship was opened in the City Hall of Utrecht, featuring work by HKU alumni Kim Engelsbel, Uliana Gromyko and Glenelys Josefina. With human rights as unifying theme, the three artists investigate how identity, unity and the power of the unseen manifest in both personal and societal narratives.

Saskia Kluitmans, Director of Cultural Affairs for the Municipality of Utrecht, opened the exhibition, together with HKU professor Fabiola Camuti, who offered an introductory explanation. Camuti’s speech was a passionate plea about the unifying power of art in a time when fear and division seem to be gaining ground. It is precisely the gentle side of art, which nonetheless shows strength as well, that is essential for giving voice to beauty, trust, the unseen and the positive.

HKU-lector Fabiola Camuti: 'HKU professor Fabiola Camuti: Especially this time, art is essential for giving voice to beauty, trust, the unseen and the positive.

Glenelys Josefina’s research into textured hair as a living symbol of identity and heritage is a striking example of unveiling the unseen. From a young age, her hair was straightened with a product called “Relaxer”, a practice passed from generation to generation like a tradition. Josefina: “Few people know about it; it runs very quietly through our culture, hidden. When I became older, I realised that this relaxing was very harmful to my hair. At 17, I chose to stop doing it and began experimenting with my own hair. Until then, I had been afraid I would not be accepted with african hair. I spoke with many mothers and asked why they continued doing it. It is a tradition and regarded as completely normal, and therefore it remains the norm. With my project, I want to approach it from a different perspective.”

'Invisible Thread of Kinship' can be visited, without entrance free, until 28 November 2025 at the City Hall of Utrecht (Stadhuisbrug 1).