Newsroom··2 min read
Chord Hero Welcomes Van Gogh Etten-Leur to Hong Kong
A visit, a conversation, and two Explorer Sets heading to the Netherlands
Chord Hero was pleased to host Ankie de Hoon, board member of Stichting Van Gogh Etten-Leur, during her recent visit to Hong Kong.
Where Vincent decided to become an artist
Etten-Leur occupies a particular place in Van Gogh's life. It was here, in 1881, that Vincent set up his first studio and registered himself for the first time as a painter — the point at which he stopped being someone who drew and became an artist by his own account.
Stichting Van Gogh Etten-Leur exists to look after that history and to bring it to a wider audience. The foundation runs two sites in the town: the Van Gogh Kerk on Markt, where Vincent's father served as minister, and Museum Sint Paulushofje, which explores the landscape and rural life he drew around Etten.
A recent transformation
The Van Gogh Kerk reopened in October 2025 following a nine-month restoration, and now houses a multimedia Van Gogh Experience. The building was transferred to the provincial Van Gogh Sites organisation so the foundation could operate it long term, with investment support from the Van Gogh Sites Foundation and the province of Noord-Brabant.
What we shared
We took our guests through the full arc of Chord Hero's work over the years — from our first ukulele kits and school programmes, through our digital and physical exhibitions, to the Strum & Sing SENSation community concert in July, where over 200 participants of every age and ability built, painted, learned and performed together.
We closed with the latest Van Gogh Explorer Set, featuring its updated cover design, and a demonstration of the AR experiences now built into ChordSpheres. Pointing a phone at the instrument brings it to life on screen — entirely browser-based, with nothing to download.
The Van Gogh Explorer programme invites children to assemble a real, playable ukulele, personalise it in Vincent's visual language, and learn to play the instrument they made. The technology guides — but hands build.
Next
Two Van Gogh Explorer Sets returned to the Netherlands with Ms de Hoon for her colleagues to see. We look forward to continuing the conversation.
