Radical Space: Wild Card by Femi Dawkins & Martin Fondse (2025)

Multidisciplinary artist Femi Dawkins and composer and pianist Martin Fondse explore the power of the Wild Card: the unpredictable factor, the trickster that defies rules and moves freely between structures.

Multidisciplinary artist Femi Dawkins and versatile composer and pianist Martin Fondse explore the power of the Wild Card: the unpredictable element, the joker that defies rules and moves freely between structures. In card games, the Wild Card is the trump card, the symbol of ultimate freedom. It can take on any role, break through playing patterns and bring unexpected twists. In society, the Wild Card fulfils a similar function: it is the thinker, the contrarian, the artist, who questions entrenched ideas and makes room for something new. Radical love, radical hope, anything is possible.

For Wild Card, Femi and Martin dive into a world where acoustic instruments, electronics, spoken word, poetry and visual art merge. Through live sampling and projections of Dawkins' visual work, they enter into dialogue with each other and their surroundings. There is no fixed game plan here – Wild Card brings surprises, improvisation and a constantly shifting perspective.

In this collaboration between Femi Dawkins and Martin Fondse, the Wild Card becomes a voice: radical, poetic and confrontational. Dawkins' powerful, socially critical texts on justice, the history of slavery and the human search for meaning form a contrasting dialogue with Martin's contemplative and adventurous music. There are no fixed roles here: both take the Wild Card position, moving freely between disciplines and allowing for the unexpected.

Femi Dawkins presenting Wild Card

Femi Dawkins & Martin Fondse

Femi Dawkins at the Bookshop of Internationaal Theater Amsterdam

Femi Dawkins (1966) was born in the Bahamas, grew up in Jamaica and New York, and has been active as a multidisciplinary artist in Amsterdam since 1991. Through his art, he explores deeply rooted ideas about identity formation. As a Spoken Word artist 'Jimmy Rage,' he has collaborated with numerous renowned musicians, including Archie Shepp, Kindred Spirits Ensemble, and currently Marin Fondse. In 2022, Dawkins won the Gieskes-Strijbis Stage Award and earned his Master of Fine Arts at Goldsmiths University in London. Following his recent performance at Museum Night, Dawkins is exhibiting new drawings and paintings during Wild Card, responding to the history of the Schouwburg and the space where the Bookshop is located.

Martin Fondse (1967) is a pianist, composer, and arranger who doesn't care about labels. For Fondse, there are no strict boundaries between styles like classical, jazz, and world music; he mixes them all with ease. His music is a fusion of humor, emotion, and storytelling. In 2022 and 2023, he held the position of Composer of the Year, ambassador for Dutch composed music. In 2017, he won the Boy Edgar Prize, the Netherlands' most prestigious jazz award.