In Action! by Kiki & Just – All photos are by Ronald Smits, courtesy of the designers.
Design. During Dutch Design Week 2025, Kiki van Eijk and Joost van Bleiswijk — the creative forces behind Kiki & Joost— transformed their Eindhoven studio, gallery, and workspace into a vibrant playground of ideas for their anniversary exhibition, In Action! A mix of new autonomous works and joyful collaborations filled the space — from garden-grown tapestries and expressive clay explosions to wearable art and live performances. The message was clear: creativity is movement, and design is always in action.
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about Dutch Design Week 2025 on Archipanic.
Kiki’s Memories of a Garden.
“We met during our studies at Design Academy Eindhoven, and from the beginning, we shared a fascination for experimentation — for pushing materials and processes to see where they would take us,” Kiki & Joost told Archipanic. “Over time, Kiki’s intuitive, poetic approach and Joost’s more technical and material-driven mindset became the foundation of our work and our dialogue.”
“What has remained constant through these years is our belief in authenticity and craftsmanship. We still work with our hands; we still start from the process,” they add. “Whether it’s a small ceramic sculpture or a large installation, it always begins in the workshop and not on a computer.”
Joost’s Alumière.
Kiki’s poetic side unfolded in Memories of a Garden, born from a residency in painter Marc Mulders’ wildflower garden on Baest Estate. Like a contemporary impressionist, she wove sensations of fragility and awe into four jacquard tapestries crafted from hemp, wool, paper, and gold yarns at the TextielMuseum Tilburg. Memories of a Garden is more than a visual delight — it’s a call to care for the living landscapes that sustain us.
Kiki’s Memories of a Garden.
Meanwhile, Joost’s In Action moment was raw and explosive. With a self-developed air gun, he literally shot paint and clay to sculpt emotion into matter. Each burst transformed aggression into energy, chaos into creation — a powerful metaphor for resilience and release.
Joost’s SHOOT.
The spirit of collaboration also pulsed through projects like Kiki’s rug collection with Dutch textile innovator Byborre, where she playfully imagined “continents as ginger bulbs,” re-rooting global perspectives. Joost’s Alumière lighting series, sculpted from standard aluminium profiles, brought structural poetry to everyday materials. Born from the remnants of demolished buildings, his Phoenix collection transforms discarded fragments into raw art-design pieces.
Joost’s Phoenix.
Adding a dose of fun, the duo joined forces with artist Diederik Verbakel for live screen-printing sessions, creating wild, colourful sweaters and textile artworks. Adding another layer, In Action featured a new book by Gestalten and photographer René van der Hulst, celebrating 20 Dutch creatives — including Kiki & Joost’s home and studio.
Diederik Verbakel’s live screen-printing sessions.
The exhibition coincides with another 25th anniversary — that of Dutch Design Week itself. “Back in the early 2000s, it was a very punk, raw, and spontaneous local event, almost like a festival of ideas. Today, it’s more professional and increasingly international, yet it still retains the Eindhoven spirit of openness and collaboration.” The In Action! showcase embodied this same ethos: design as an act of sharing, experimenting, and connecting.
In Action by Kiki & Just.
As for advice to emerging studios? “Be true to your own rhythm,” they say. “Don’t chase trends. Build your community. Collaboration and kindness are everything. We wouldn’t be here without the network of makers, gallerists, and friends who shaped us.”
After 25 years, Kiki & Joost remain In Action — proving that the most inspiring design is born not from perfection, but from the fearless act of making.
Kiki’s Memories of a Garden.
All photos are by Ronald Smits, courtesy of Kiki & Joost.
Kiki’s Memories of a Garden.
Joost’s Alumière.
