- Title: Headscarves for Trump and Wilders at Amsterdam's "Nasty Women" exhibition
- Date: 3rd March 2017
- Summary: ARTIST, JET NIJKAMP, IN GALLERY (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) ARTIST, JET NIJKAMP, SAYING: "Trump, who has recently banned people from certain Muslim countries and Wilders who wants to go much further, he thinks this is not enough, he wants to ban Islam from the Netherlands, he wants to close the mosques and ban Korans, which is against the constitution and against international agr
- Embargoed: 17th March 2017 14:43
- Keywords: Amsterdam Netherlands Donald Trump Geert Wilders election exhibition
- Location: AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
- City: AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
- Country: Netherlands
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA00366EOQXL
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:A group of Amsterdam artists have put together an anti-Trump and anti-Wilders exhibition in order to raise funds for women's rights organisations, two weeks ahead of a Dutch parliamentary election on March 15 in which far-right nationalist candidate Geert Wilders is expected to make big gains.
The "Nasty Women" movement began in New York with an exhibition aimed at responding to derogatory remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump about his then opponent and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, calling her "such a nasty woman" during a debate.
The Amsterdam show, like its New York predecessor, will sell critical works made by female artists with the proceeds going to organisations that help fund women's access to safe birth control and abortion.
Shortly after taking office, Trump reinstated a policy requiring foreign organisations receiving U.S. funds to certify that they do not perform abortions or provide abortion advice as a method of family planning.
A Brussels conference to finance global family planning initiatives raised 181 million euros ($190.34 million) after a U.S. halt to such programmes left NGOs worldwide with a large funding gap.
About 50 countries, organisations and foundations, spearheaded by the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden, participated in Thursday's conference in Brussels entitled "She Decides" to fund groups who have been impacted.
Among the works are pastel paintings by artist Jet Nijkamp depicting Trump and Wilders, both critics of Islam, wearing headscarves and women's dresses.
"Trump, who has recently banned people from certain Muslim countries and Wilders who wants to go much further, he thinks this is not enough, he wants to ban Islam from the Netherlands, he wants to close the mosques and ban Korans, which is against the constitution and against international agreements and simply out of order," Nijkamp told Reuters TV on Friday (March 3).
Polls show Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) will more than double its seats in parliament to 26, almost even with Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservatives who stand to tumble from 41 to 27, with his coalition partner Labour plunging to 14 from 38.
His appeal highlights a paradox that is challenging the status quo in Western democracies and fraying the European Union: voters are spurning the mainstream in favour of anti-establishment populism in times of economic wellbeing.
"Nasty women is a movement all around the world of international exhibitions organised by the local people to support women's rights and against Trump. It started in New York just after the elections, and soon we have elections here, and we have worries as well, because we've got a Trump-like guy in the Netherlands, he's called Wilders, and we wanted to do something, make a sound, make a statement, make an artistic movement to show solidarity with everybody," said one of the exhibition's organisers Airco Caravan.
Some 45 Nasty Women Art Exhibitions have been organised around the world in response to Trump's comments.
The Nasty Women Amsterdam exhibition runs from March 4 to 12. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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