Robert Willem Imker, better known as Tokkel, appears in De Nieuwe Kolk. This afternoon a work of art about Assen’s most famous city wanderer was unveiled in the hall of the theater.
Tokkel was once a talented guitarist, but fell on hard times and then wandered through the city center of Asser. He died in 2001 at the age of 52. Artists Antje Stel and George Manak knew Tokkel well and last year came up with the idea of immortalizing him in a joint work.
“We found suitable photos of him through the Drenthe Archives. Antje then started painting him,” says Manak. “I later made him a guitar because he used to be a gifted guitarist. That’s a better way to honor him than as a bum.”
The artwork initially hung in the hall at Stel. “But we thought he should be given a better place. Because everyone knows Tokkel, he is the DNA of Assen. Everyone loved that man,” said Stel. “So we went a bit crazy and eventually contacted De Nieuwe Kolk.”
The theater welcomed the work of art with open arms. “Tokkel is of course a very striking person in Assen. This is the place where every Assen resident is welcome all day long and where we can beautifully tell Tokkel’s story through this work of art,” says DNK director Hanneke Bruggeman.
And so Tokkel comes home a bit, because he already played with his band in the old theater De Kolk.