This Sunday, February 28, the Mooie-Plaatjes group exhibition in Utrecht showcases the work of young, up-and-coming artists. The work of Rutger Lastdrager, L-Tuziasm, and Chiel will be on display, showcasing their mix of modern art, street art and photography. DJs Shameless and Jeremy Soze will be providing a musical backdrop for the artwork.

Rutger Lastdrager is a photographer using both raw images as well as digitally manipulated images to make people look at normal scenes in new ways. L-Tuziasm, along with being one of the founders of the exhibition, is a painter working with color and rough forms to explore both city life and nature. Chiel is a graffiti artist at heart who now does more of his work on canvas, while still frequently using spray paint.

The exhibit runs from 13:00-19:00 at Van Sijpensteinkade 11, Utrecht.

File this under things you might not expect to see in a convent museum. The Catharijneconvent Museum in Utrecht is presenting Lingam, an exhibit of 122 contemporary interpretations of the ancient, oriental fertility symbol. Jewelry makers, visual artists and designers -- representing 24 countries -- were invited to put their own interpretation of this fertility symbol. The resulting goal is to provide a new look at the religious element associated with the phallus, without the usual Western perspective of lust and sexuality. The exhibit is guest-curated by Ruudt Peters and features work by artists such as Sofia Björkman, Ted Noten, Marcel Wanders and Johanna Schweizer.

The exhibit runs from January 17 to February 26. The Museum Catharijneconvent is located at Lange Nieuwstraat 38, Utrecht, and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10-5 p.m. weekdays, and 11-5 p.m. weekends. General admission is €9. More information can be found on the exhibit at the museum's website.

I haven't been to Groningen, that lovely city in the north, for 2 months or so, but wherever I travel in the Netherlands lately, I run into posters from the Groninger Museum. They must be trying to infiltrate my brain; not-so subliminal messages for me to get to know their fabulous collection, just a 1.5 hour train ride away.

So I decided to indulge these advertisements a bit, lets go take a look at what flickr has to offer when it comes to images from the Groninger Museum.

In these three images alone I can find a whole of awesome. So next time I do make one of my seasonal trips to the big G, I'll be heading to the Groninger Museum, and I recommend you do the same.

For all the details like schedule, costs, and directions, check out the website. For more second-hand visual joy, search flickr (and full credit to they who took those pictures).

Mattijs Bredewold is a product of the 1990s, or as he titles his new art installation, he was "Fucked Up By the Nineties". At his show at Moira in Utrecht, his spatial images take on a vivid, carnivalesque feel that makes the viewer wonder if he spent the '90s at raves, fairgrounds and gambling halls.

A painter by training at the Art Institute in Zwolle, Bredwold suddenly changed his focus to creating spatial images. He works with paper, cardboard and wood to create video game and arcade images and objects evoking the lights, colors and sounds associated with the objects.

The exhibit runs from 9-31 January. The opening is at 5 p.m. Saturday, January 9, at Moira Expositieruimte, Wolvenstraat 10, Utrecht. Regular opening hours are Friday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m.

For many people, buying original works of art may seem daunting and expensive, but it doesn't have to be all Rembrandts sold for millions through Christie's. Nowadays, more and more initiatives like XPOZZ are popping up, making art more accessible and interesting.

This weekend, anyone interested in looking -- and maybe buying -- can head over to Ontariodreef in Utrecht to see the work of 18 talented artists working in a variety of techniques. Best of all, the artists themselves will be on hand to talk with you about their creations. It's not just art on white walls, nor will you be getting the hard sell. Look at the artwork, talk about it with the artist, and if you're inspired, maybe you can buy some. Even if you don't buy, you can learn and enjoy. And hey, they'll even have wine and music on hand!

XPOZZ takes place December 12 and 13, from 12:30-5 p.m. each day, at Ontariodreef 10, Utrecht.

If you're artistically inclined, be it theater or fine art, there are a couple of things going on in Utrecht that you may find interesting.

First off, there's a exhibition at the Stadsschouwburg of busts of seven famous Utrechters from the world of arts and culture. The modeled portraits are done by Jelle Heertsma, and include Carice van Houten, Ingmar Heytze, and Ronald Giphart among others. The exhibit runs through December 13. Stop in some time if you're in the area. The Stadsschouwburg is located at Lucas Bolwerk 24.

Also going on this weekend is a book sale over at the Centraal Museum. According to a post on Twitter, "Due to an overstocked library, books on sale! Large books for € 2, small books for € 1. It's as simple (and cheap) as that! Till Sunday." Definitely worth looking into if you've got a passion for art and books! The Utrecht Centraal Museum is located at Nicolaaskerkhof 10, and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

It's time for the Holland Animation Film Festival again! November 4-8, in Utrecht, sees some of the best and brightest presenting their work in the field of animated films. This is the 13th edition of the festival and it will feature competitions, full-length and short films, cutting edge presentations, lectures and retrospectives.

More than 1300 submissions were made for the competition and those were carefully whittled down. The festival events are taking place at a variety of theaters throughout Utrecht, as well as at Janskerk and City Hall. The festival will also tie in briefly this weekend with the Cultural Sunday Berlin wall events, with a special film being shown at the City Hall.

Single tickets are €8, although discounts are available with certain passes. Theater Kikker is serving as the headquarters for the festival, but tickets for certain films and events can be purchased online or at the theater where the film is being shown. Check the official website (available in English) for the full schedule, times and locations.

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Impakt Festival: Adventures in Sound and Image. The festival runs October 14-18 in Utrecht, and is focusing this year on the idea of time, specifically the theme of Accelerated Living, in which the way we experience time and speed is explored. The festival is guest-curated by Stoffel Debuysere (Belgium) and María Palacios Cruz (Spain). They have put together a series of programs including a conference and exhibition, as well as concerts, performances, film screenings and new media. Along with the Accelerated Living portion of the festival, there is also the annual Panorama programme, which offers an overview of some of the cutting-edge film and video productions that are coming out of the current international exhibitions and festivals.

The event kicks off Wednesday evening at Theater Kikker, which is the heart of the festival, featuring performances and concerts, as well as providing information for the whole festival, including tickets. Other film events will be taking place at 't Hoogt and Moira theaters, and the exhibitions will be on display at Aboriginal Art Museum Utrecht, the Flatland Gallery and the Academiegalerie.

Tickets are €7 for most events, although the concerts are €10-15. Full information about the festival, including descriptions, times and locations for all events can be found at the official website (in English).

An article yesterday in the International section of the NRC Handelsblad discussed a new trend among Rotterdam art gallery owners: They are now offering 100-euro works of art to encourage more visitors and increased sales.

The art gallery Poonberg, located at Taxusstraat 20 in Rotterdam, still advertises the latest sale on their website. It took place on 6 September at the opening of their current exhibition. Poonberg isn't alone: This year, 11 of the 178 members of the Dutch Galleries Association also have followed suit, asking the artists they show to produce new works of art to be sold at the 100-euro price.

Will this idea help alleviate the financial crisis? The newspaper article is skeptical, but some still hold out hope.

The Netherlands has some fantastic architecture, both traditional and modern -- often on the same street. Utrecht is lucky to have the famous Schröder House built by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, one of the leading De Stijl architects. The Rietveld-Schröder house wasn't his only work, of course. He also designed a social housing project, the Robijnhof, located in the Hoograven district of Utrecht.

Over the past few years, the complex has been undergoing a restoration process and Robijnhof 13 has been turned into a museum. The ground floor dwelling shows off Rietveld's architectural tricks and style. Various furniture pieces, including some of the originals, help return the dwelling to its original 1950s feel.

Visits to the Robijnhof are limited. They are available through the Centraal Museum Sunday, October 4, and Sunday, October 11. Tickets are €9 or €7.50 for students and cultuurkaart holders. The Centraal Museum is located at Nicolaaskerkhof 10, Utrecht. The hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.