Beyond the Nuclear Family is a long-term, interdisciplinary research project by writer and artist Mirthe Berentsen.

Starting in the summer of 2025, she will travel throughout the Netherlands to challenge entrenched ideas about the nuclear family. Drawing inspiration from the legendary journey of the Dutch feminist collective Dolle Mina in 1972, who traveled across the Netherlands for several weeks discussing bodily autonomy, family structures, and abortion – topics that remain equally relevant today.

Through art, literature, and performance, Berentsen engages with cultural institutions across the country in conversations about the politics of love, care, gender, and the deeply rooted systems that shape our understanding of family. The project stems from a fascinating etymological discovery: the origin of the Dutch word for family, 'gezin', lies in ghesinde, which originally meant 'travel companions' – the people with whom you share the same path. In this spirit, the project brings together artists, writers, activists, and scholars as modern ghesindes in a collective journey towards new family forms, language, and imagination.

Throughout the country, we invite you to exhibitions, performances, lectures, and workshops: from the Academic Medical Center and the Amsterdam Museum in Amsterdam, via the Centraal Museum in Utrecht and Dat Bolwerck in Zutphen, to Museum MORE in Gorssel and Het Resort in Groningen. At all these locations, we collectively rewrite the story of what family can be – not as a fixed structure, but as a shared journey.

Will you join us on this journey? Sign up for the newsletter here or follow us on Instagram (@beyondthenuclearfamily) to stay informed about the route, partners, program, and opportunities to participate.

Project visual identity by Minhu Jun and Özgür Deniz Koldaş
(studio salt, pepper, and peace )

Website design and development by Özgür Deniz Koldaş



This project is realised with support of: the Mondriaan Fund, the Cultuurfonds, the Amarte Foundation and the Iona Stichting - en thanks to our partners: Amsterdam UMC, Theater Utrecht, Centraal Museum, CBK Zuidoost, Amsterdam Museum, Vlaams Cultuurhuis De Brakke Grond, Museum MORE, Dat Bolwerck, Het Resort, Kunsthuis SYB and Kunstwerk Kolderveen.

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