Everything must go
In Everything Must Go, Dries Verhoeven turns his gaze to the moral frictions of our late-capitalist society. In a continuous, six-hour installation, the visitor becomes part of a living supermarket setting in which shoplifting is examined. What drives the “proletarian shopper”? And how ethical are we really, when no one is looking?
Festival Lieve Stad, 750
Genre Theatre
Language English with Dutch subtitles
As a visitor, you buy a ticket for a time slot, but you can stay as long as you want.
Everything Must Go
In his latest living installation, Dries Verhoeven explores shoplifting. Since the introduction of self-checkout registers, shoplifting has been on the rise. This phenomenon inspired Dries Verhoeven to examine the moral frictions within our late-capitalist society. He engaged in conversations with 24 people who occasionally "forget" to pay, with thieves in detention, and with those who see theft as a form of political resistance. These proletarian shoppers and self-proclaimed Robin Hoods were invited to reflect on themselves and the world they operate in.
Among the ruins of the free market, he discovered a group of cynical consumers who have internalized the opportunism of their economic environment—why be virtuous when the world is falling apart? Yet, much like supermarkets themselves, these individuals present themselves as exemplary in public; ethics become more a matter of image than principle.
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Everything Must Go is a living installation that can be visited continuously for six hours per day. Inside a gallery, a replica of a supermarket aisle is set up, equipped with numerous CCTV cameras. A performer, dressed in a Snow White costume and wearing a pig mask, embodies the neoliberal consumer. The role is alternated between Isadora Tomasi and Annica Muller. Visitors can walk around the installation, peek in between the products, or follow the events inside the supermarket via screens. Like surveillance officers in a panopticon, they observe the “suspicious subject.” In defending her own actions, she dissects the contradictions of her economic surroundings. The text is based on interviews with people with lived experience and on the words of Jean Genet, Karl Marx, Ruben Östlund, Rachel Shteir, Mathild Clerc-Verhoeven, and Slavoj Žižek.
Reviews
Theaterkrant
'An impressive allegory of modern capitalism...The care borders on perfection. The audience stands around chuckling bitterly.'
NRC
'Ironclad new theatrical installation.... The monologue is somewhere between a confession and an indictment, placing the viewer in the complex dual role of understanding confessor and stern overseer.'
Het Parool
'Everything Must Go is insanely well put together. Dries Verhoeven addresses major moral issues through everyday experience.'
De Groene Amsterdammer
'We become cynical and operate morally dubious, just like the system around us.'
IMPAKT Festival
"In a disenchanted society, there are more and more people with fluid morals.'
Credits
concept Dries Verhoeven
performance Isadora Tomasi, Annica Muller
dramaturgy Hellan Godee, Miguel Melgares
sound design Isadora Tomasi
sound editing Peer Thielen
assistant director Didi Kreike
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installation construction Niklas van Woerden
subtitles Casper Wortmann
head of technical production Roel Evenhuis
communication Esra Merkel
production Ellen van Bunnik (’n More), Jitske Weijand, Yola Parie
About Lieve Stad, 750
This performance is part of Lieve Stad, 750, a joint theater festival of Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and Meervaart. In honor of 750 years of Amsterdam, we are celebrating an extra-large edition in May with more than 50 performances in 13 theaters throughout the city. The festival brings everything together: the artists, the stages, the stories and the audience. We honor the city's rich traditions, but also give space to new voices and perspectives. Together we make Amsterdam - and we celebrate it.
Celebrate the art. Celebrate the city. Celebrate it together.
20 May – 25 May 2025
Amsterdam Art Week
Everything must go is part of Amsterdam Art Week, a contemporary art festival, uniting over 70 galleries, museums, residencies, project spaces, creative hubs, private collections, and art schools. For one week, Amsterdam becomes a stage where artists showcase their talent to both local and international audiences. Visitors can immerse themselves in a diverse mix of leading and experimental exhibitions, special events – such as private collection visits and artist talks – and inspiring encounters.
This is the only time of the year when the entire Amsterdam contemporary art scene comes together—to collaborate, exchange ideas, and celebrate creativity. Amsterdam Art is dedicated to strengthening, connecting, and promoting the city’s vibrant art ecosystem, bringing it to the global stage. Join us in experiencing the energy, diversity, and innovation that define Amsterdam’s contemporary art landscape.
