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Walking at a brisk pace, you could traverse the Witte de Withstraat, a relatively short street in Rotterdam the Netherlands, from one end to another in four minutes. Or, taking in every exciting corner and bend, each nook and cranny, packed with studios, art centers, galleries and more, could last a full day with areas left unexplored for a follow up visit. The most exciting venues in contemporary art in Rotterdam, and arguably in the country, are found in and around this street, one tiny section of the city. Additionally, leading museums flank the Witte de Withstraat with major exhibitions literary steps away. |
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Walking at a brisk pace, you could traverse the Witte de Withstraat, a relatively short street in Rotterdam the Netherlands, from one end to another in four minutes. Or, taking in every exciting corner and bend, each nook and cranny, packed with studios, art centers, galleries and more, could last a full day with areas left unexplored for a follow up visit. The most exciting venues in contemporary art in Rotterdam, and arguably in the country, are found in and around this street, one tiny section of the city. Additionally, leading museums flank the Witte de Withstraat with major exhibitions literary steps away.
In contrast to Amsterdam, the art emerging from Rotterdam and the Witte de Withstraat is generally newer, younger and more experimental. Art in Amsterdam remains on the conventional and traditional side, although there are exceptions to this rule found in both cites. Furthermore, the cities’ respective landscapes mirror these generalizations. Rotterdam, because it flattened during World War II in 1940, has since been rebuilt and renovated, although there were always plans to update the city with contemporary architecture. The tendency towards contemporary was always present in Rotterdam. In contrast, 17th century buildings still line the canals in Amsterdam, their facades intact with barely a detectable trace of years past. Walking through Amsterdam feels like stumbling upon a movie set, while Rotterdam has the atmosphere of a foreign New York, an updated, progressive city, skyscrapers and modern architecture abound. By and large, reflecting its aesthetic impressions of the city, Rotterdam is undoubtedly the center for contemporary art in the Netherlands, with the Witte de Withstraat being its nucleus.
One attractive point of the Witte de Withstraat is the scope of artists exhibited. It ranges from the totally unknown to the established and easily recognizable internationally known pillars. The smaller, fascinating projects to see on the Witte de Withstraat include Galerie de Aanschouw, TENT, Gil & Moti and Galerie/Atelier Herenplaats. Galerie de Aanschouw is less of a gallery and more a display case, situated in front of a café. The work alternates weekly and every Friday night features a new artist. The gallery also functions as a public meeting place to bring artists and the community together. Performances and interdisciplinary artwork is encouraged. TENT uses two words to describe itself: openness and flexibility. It is a contemporary art center, which starts with the Rotterdam art world as its basis, exhibiting artwork that in some way relates to the city. TENT also focuses on dense programming with live performances every first Thursday of the month and a video evening every third Thursday, thus creating a lively cultural center in the heart of the Witte de Withstraat.
Unless they are traveling, down the street reside Gil & Moti, two Israeli artists who have relocated in the Netherlands. They converted their home into an open gallery/studio and aptly renamed it “Gil & Moti Homegallery Rotterdam.” Their work is inspired by this move, playing with the idea of private space vs. public life. Initially, the artists held events and programs based solely in their Homegallery in Rotterdam. After a period of five years, Gil & Moti took their ideas on the road. They inhabited and worked in various venues, galleries and exhibition spaces internationally. Gil & Moti bring their concentration back to Rotterdam in September for their new project, which opens in conjunction with the festival of the World of Witte de With (De Wereld van Witte de With). The artists plan on collaborating with their neighbors and the Nederlands Fotomuseum for a mass video viewing. Specifically, participants will open their home for the weekend, where audiences will see videos from international artists, whom Gil & Moti have met during their travels. Moreover, fellow Rotterdam citizens are invited to browse through their own archives (read: home movies) and exhibit those as well. During the festival, organized tours will guide spectators through private houses in the vicinity of the Witte de Withstraat. For the duration of the month, all works will be on view at the Nederlands Fotomusem and at Gil & Moti’s Homegallery.
At the edge of conventionality lies Galerie / Atelier Herenplaats, with its focus on Outsider Art. Specifically, the members of the collective of 22 artists that work in the Herenplaats Studio all have a mental disability and what connects these artists is the desire to create images based on personal experiences. All these modest exhibition spaces combined ensure that the up-and-coming artists just starting out are represented on the Witte de Withstraat.
Additionally, larger, more ambitious venues are housed on the Witte de Withstraat. Particular spaces consistently surprise with their high quality exhibitions, like MKgalerie.nl, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art and the Nederlands Fotomuseum. Both the MK Galerie and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art will be discussed in detail later in the section. The Nederlands Fotomuseum includes exhibition spaces, a library and houses the archives of many Dutch photographers both eminent and less well known. At the end of 2006, the Nederlands Fotomuseum will leave their plot on the Witte de Withstraat and move to a renovated factory within Rotterdam. Although their presence supplements the atmosphere in the Witte de Withstraat, viewers will benefit from the move by enjoying twice as many exhibition rooms. At their current state, the smaller exhibitions in the Nederlands Fotomuseum are pleasantly manageable; however because of the quality of their collection and exhibitions, the new space is welcomed.
This special section in the magazine will try to paint a picture of Rotterdam and the Witte de Withstraat with articles from various perspectives of the people closely involved in the local art scene. Sophie von Olfers, new curator of the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art discusses the institution’s place in Rotterdam as well as plans for the upcoming year at the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art. Dennis de Lange interviews artist Joanneke Meester, who recently exhibited her work at MAMA: Showroom for Media and Moving Art Rotterdam. Olga Mi_ogrodzka examines the recent Tue Greenfort exhibition in detail. Rotterdam City Curator at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Bregje van Woensel, with her extensive knowledge on Rotterdam, considers the development of Rotterdam art in context of the varying Dutch political climate. Van Woensel provides yet another view, a more critical outlook, dissecting local governmental policies and how they influence art. Finally, MKgalerie.nl, one of the top galleries in the neighborhood with some of the highest quality art coming out of Rotterdam will be highlighted, with particular attention to their current and upcoming exhibitions. With a range of viewpoints and accents, the following articles will accurately illustrate the high quality and distinct Dutch contemporary art community centered at the Witte de Withstraat.
