Maffers
Installation of painted bricks, approx. 1.75 m, 2025

A circle of bricks, hand-painted with slogans from the tenants' resistance of 1927–1934. The movement began in Amsterdam-West and quickly spread to other cities. Protesters chalked and pasted their streets with calls for solidarity. A "maffer" was someone who refused to join the strike. The movement was eventually crushed by a coalition of landlords and local authorities. It also led to the introduction of the 'Kalk- en Plakverbod' — a ban on chalking and pasting that remains in effect to this day. A striking moment in the history of housing solidarity, and one that deserves to be remembered.

This work was on view in the courtyard of Museum Het Schip, as part of the project Solide Herinneringen which was made possible with the support of Museum Het Schip, the Municipality of Amsterdam, the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK), the Iona Foundation, and the Amsterdamsche Fonds.<