Designs for Bakstain exhibition at Groninger Museum

Poster for the BAKSTAIN exhibition at the Groninger Museum, 9 May to 23 August 2026. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

From Studio Volop, Gerard de Hoop was commissioned by the Groninger Museum to design various brick follies, objects and pedestals for the exhibition Bakstain .

This has resulted in 9 items:

  • Lapidarium, a large pedestal for stone objects to be displayed on
  • Pedestal for trowels and guild medals
  • Masonry provincial map of Groningen
  • 6 stone follies

Thanks to:

  • Curator Edgar Pelupessy of the Groninger Museum
  • Strating Facade Masters
  • Masons of Keizer Staingoud
  • Construction company KOOI
  • Alfa-College Groningen and architectural firm vector-i

 

The exhibition is from May 9 to Aug. 23, 2026.

For more information about the project, visit the website of Studio Volop

BAKSTAIN - lapidarium displaying historic decorative bricks and architectural fragments on geometric exhibition plinths and inside a glass display case at the Groninger Museum. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

Lapidarium

Brick folly with a stepped diagonal opening on a wooden floor. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

Folly 1 – Corner section of the De Lucchi Pavilion.

BAKSTAIN - Folly 2, an architectural brick structure featuring geometric volumes and various masonry patterns, inspired by the Amsterdam School, designed by Studio Volop. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

Folly 2 – A stone object that references the architecture of the Amsterdam School and its various masonry patterns.

BAKSTAIN - an architectural folly made of stacked, perforated extruded bricks with vertical volumes and geometric lines, designed by Studio Volop for the Groninger Museum. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

Folly 3 – Construction of modern perforated bricks from Strating Gevelmeesters’ string press.

Bakstain exhibit-Studio Volop. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).
BAKSTAIN - cylindrical and square columns built from stacked Dinkel bricks with an open brickwork pattern, designed by Studio Volop for the Groninger Museum. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

Folly 4 and 5 —Round and square pillars, constructed from stacked Dinkels, a new, narrower brick produced by the Strating Brick Factory. The round pillar is a reference to the round stone pipe by De Lucchi that once stood in this pavilion.

BAKSTAIN - exhibition plinth shaped like a stylized brick pallet, supporting a glass display case with historic trowels and guild medals at the Groninger Museum. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).
BAKSTAIN - an exhibition pedestal shaped like a stylized pallet of bricks, featuring a glass display case for historic trowels and guild medals at the Groninger Museum. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

Pedestal in the form of a stylized pallet with bricks, for exhibiting trowels and guild medals.

BAKSTAIN - wall installation depicting the outline of Groningen province, constructed from horizontal strips of traditional Groningen red brick at the Groninger Museum. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

Provincial map of Groningen executed in typical Groningen red brick strips.

BAKSTAIN - Folly 6, semicircular architectural structure made of dry-stacked pressed bricks, featuring horizontal layers and open brickwork at the Groninger Museum. Exhibition designs by Gerard de Hoop (Studio Volop).

Folly 6 – A semicircular structure built using dry-stacked pressed bricks, developed by Alfa College and the architectural firm vector-i.

18 September 2025

Presentation TUBBY during Glue Amsterdam

15 June 2026

Artwork for the Beijum neighborhood in Groningen, Studio Volop

Gerard de Hoop © 2026