With the new works: Self-Portrait with Talkbacks and Glad to be fighting alongside you, we explore what does our Wedding Project, from 25 years ago, and the legalisation of same-sex marriage mean for the younger generation? In this iconic art project, which marked the global introduction of same-sex marriage legislation, we were the first couple in Rotterdam to take advantage of the new law. We then performed publicly our staged wedding ceremony on the balcony of Rotterdam City Hall, led by then-Mayor Ivo Opstelten, and our own exhibition and a ten-day public honeymoon took place in the city hall lobby. This art project, which brought life and art closer together, raises questions about the consequences of political changes on society, the influence of a role model and the power of art to stimulate social processes. Alongside the new works, we created an epic installation composed of elements from twenty-five years ago, but in a unique way to emphasise the vulnerability of queer emancipation. For example: the wedding portraits; oil paintings on canvas, hung upside down, a collage of enlarged prints of newspaper articles about this art project, and small analog photo prints from our archive.

Gil & Moti Wedding Project – Protect, installation, video, photography ,performance , painting. Exhibited Nieuw Charlois Rotterdam, SouthExplorer Rotterdam, . Made possible with the generous support of: CBK Rotterdam

Gil & Moti Wedding Project – Protect, 2026. Exhibition view at Nieuw Charlois, photo: Van den Baar

Gil & Moti Wedding Project – Protect, 2026. Exhibition view at Nieuw Charlois. 13 meter wall collage; enlarged prints of newspaper articles, wedding portraits; oil on canvas paintings, 10x15cm analog photo prints, framed drawings, original documents, video, furniture. photo: Van den Baar

Gil & Moti Wedding Project – Protect, detail: The Gil & Moti Wedding Project, 2001, video,30', made in collaboration with Marieke van der Lippe, enlarged prints of newspaper articles, 10x15cm analog photo prints. photo: Van den Baar

Gil & Moti Wedding Project – Protect, detail: original document; Mayor's speech (p. 1-2), enlarged prints of newspaper article. photo: Van den Baar

For the video work: Glad to be fighting alongside you, we return to public space in our wedding attire to talk with Rotterdammers about themes such as love, identity, freedom, and the position of the LGBTQIA+ community. Alongside heartwarming voices, the difficulty of acceptance is evident. This work shows that however the distinguish opinions an open dialogue is yet possible. The conversation with former mayor of Rotterdam Ivo Opstelten at his home raises the question of whether his participation in our art project also had a political dimension. And in a meeting with current mayor Carola Schouten, at her office, who is glad to be fighting alongside us, we receive an encouraging message to share with the younger generation.

Glad to be fighting alongside you, 2026, Ultra HD video, 21’ Video still; Gil & Moti and former Mayor of Rotterdam, Mr. Ivo Opstelten.

Glad to be fighting alongside you, 2026, Ultra HD video, 21’ (excerpt 5’16’’)

The watercolour on paper wall installation: Self-Portrait with Talkbacks, is created following an interview with us that appeared on Rijnmond.nl regarding the 25th anniversary of the Wedding Project. The many reactions to this interview on the street and on various social media platforms inspire us to create new watercolours. We start by drawing our self-portrait, then we tear the paper as an expressive response to the way (unknown) people in Talkback judge us. As a second layer, we draw the portrait and commentary of the writer; sometimes positive, sometimes funny, and sometimes (very) negative. The final composition is an abstraction of our heads.

Self-Portrait with Talkbacks, 2026, aquarelle on cotton paper, wall installation 250x350cm. photo: Van den Baar

Self-Portrait with Talkbacks, 2026, detail. photo: Van den Baar