David Bade: The Public Cause
After more than ten years of portraying the people of Heerlen, David Bade turns his attention to those who govern the city. For The Public Cause, he creates spatial portraits of the municipal executive, comprising the mayor and aldermen. On view in the display case at SCHUNCK from 21 November 2026 to 21 February 2027.
Where
SCHUNCK Glaspaleis
Price
€ 0,-
City chronicler and visual artist David Bade is creating the portraits for the latest instalment of David Bade draws Heerlen. Following his tried-and-tested approach, he starts with a conversation. From there, he captures Theo de Groot, Casper Gelderblom, Timoer Reijnders, Trudy Janssen, Alain Janssen, Tom Dragstra and Mayor Roel Wever in spatial portraits.
In the weeks leading up to the exhibition, Bade will work on the artworks in a public space. The exact location will be announced later. But here’s a clue: in the lion’s den.
Drawing Heerlen
The municipal executive joins the many people of Heerlen whom Bade has portrayed over the past ten years or so. He has worked from pop-up studios in a variety of locations, including a vacant Zeeman store, the Royal Theater, Parc Imstenrade and several schools.
Alongside individual residents, associations and groups have also sat for him, including Pink Peril Roller Derby, breaking crew HFC and the volunteers of Cultura Nova festival. During Cultura Nova in 2023, he presented House of Emotions, a two-storey pavilion created in collaboration with Mondriaan GGZ.
Foto: Eefje Pieters
About David Bade
In 2013, David Bade made a lifelong commitment to Heerlen. In a contract, he promised to keep returning to the city to carry out projects. All the artworks Bade creates as part of this project are added to the SCHUNCK art collection.