The Ones artwork set to stay in Zuidas for longer

Although to some, this 4 m high bronze statue appears to represent a family, artist Micky Hoogendijk sees it more as a symbol of society: ‘It’s a reflection of the human quest for connection and depicts the universal relationship between the individual and the collective.’ Surrounded by buildings like Tower Ten (WTC) and Valley, the sculpture, weighing 900 kg, is definitely a source of inspiration: ‘The buildings quickly attract all the attention, but it’s the people in those buildings that really matter.’

‘We first came into contact with Micky Hoogendijk back in the summer of 2024’, says Zuidas Art & Culture programme manager Rosita Roosblad. ‘We’re always looking for opportunities for making public space more vibrant with art and culture, even if it’s only temporary. This was one of those opportunities.’ The original plan was for the sculpture, which is part of a series, to move to a solo exhibition by Hoogendijk in Drenthe this April. It is now set to stay in Zuidas for longer after all, much to the artist’s satisfaction: ‘It looks so good here, that human softness amidst all that architectural might.’

These seven human figures cast in bronze were previously on display in the gardens of Huize Zonnewijzer. They also spent seven months in Venice, at the Biennale there. The brief three-month stopover in Beethovenstraat in Zuidas has now been extended until March 2026, unless the work is sold in the meantime.