Explore questions involving society at TENT Rotterdam: the platform for contemporary art in the Netherlands. The exhibitions at the museum take from Rotterdam’s vibrant urban culture to discuss contrasts in society from a worldwide perspective.
Even though all exhibitions are temporary, I will describe the three I saw on November 24, 2019 to give an idea of the type of exhibitions TENT Rotterdam runs.
Exhibition "Wild Bet" by Gil & Moti
Wild Bet focuses on gambling as a socio-psychological phenomenon. They raise the question of whether gambling is something that captivates society as a whole or something that holds only a certain group of people its grip. Loneliness and exclusion are contrasted with the few moments of happiness gambling can bring.
When you enter the first hall of this exhibition your eye gets drawn by a balled-up picture of the artists (presumably) on the wall. The chairs and tv screen in the middle of the room make me feel like an uninvited guest (maybe because I’m the only one there early Sunday morning).
More interesting are the objects on the wall: wooden planks with shirts draped around them. These were the shirts the artists Gil & Moti wore when they went to Rio de Janeiro to find the illegal gambling game ‘Jogo de Bicho’ (animal game) that was played everywhere on the streets. While hearing about the harsh daily reality and lack of perspective around that scene the artists realized they were only tourists who had a way out, unlike the people actually living that reality.
From there you cross the corridor to a green room with mounted television screens resembling slot machines. Here Gil & Moti took inspiration from the government-run slot machines that can be found in nearly every supermarket. The games on these machines mirror folkloric fantasy in Finland and form a stark contrast with the stories of the various immigrants they met in Helsinki.
Behind the green room is a ‘hidden’ back room with gambling tables imitating those found in the gambling halls in Rotterdam. The scene, named ‘Chinese Buffet’, shows the promotional materials often used to attract customers to the gambling halls and raise the question of whether immigrants are deliberately targeted.
The exhibition can be visited from October 11, 2019, until January 12, 2020.
Exhibition "The Rural Side" by Wapke Feenstra
From the gambling hall, you enter a project room with various objects and drawings on the wall. In this room, you are challenged to dismantle prevailing perceptions that the city and countryside are the opposite. A place for residents to come together and have a casual talk at the kitchen table.
The name of the exhibition (“The Rural Side” or “Boerenzij” in Dutch) is taken from the derogatory nickname from the southern side of Rotterdam. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the polders and villages south of the river were annexed by the cities, inviting mainly rural labor migrants into the city. Even for those who ‘move’ to the city, the countryside still stays with them. Yet the ever lingering perception that the countryside and city are treated differently in urban and rural planning and politics prevails.
The exhibition can be visited from October 11, 2019, until January 12, 2020.
Educational Project "Het Gareel" by Pavel van Houten
Upon entering the hall your vision turns yellow and purple. Sixteen wooden workbenches form a circle in the middle of the room. The idea is that the students receive instructions via headphones to create something out of the objects on their workbench. All this following a tight ritual to investigate the freedom that originates from a creative process with restrictions. Does the creative flow come from walking in line or can good art only sprout from complete freedom?
This exhibition could be seen between October 16 and November 24, 2019.
Final Thoughts
If you’re interested in questions involving society, then TENT is a good museum for you. It is not enough to just watch: you need to keep the question asked and the contrast being expressed by the artists in mind while making your way through the halls. When you do, the exhibitions become many times more meaningful.
How to get to TENT Rotterdam
TENT Rotterdam is located at the Witte de Withstraat 50 in Rotterdam. The museum is only a 15 minutes walk from Rotterdam Central Station. If you’re coming by tram or subway you should get off at the stop Eendrachtsplein and walk about 5 minutes.
Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11:00 – 18:00 (until 21:00 on Fridays). Closed on Monday and on New Years Day, King’s Day (April 27) and Christmas Day.
Tickets are 5 euros. Entrance is also free with a Rotterdampas or Museumkaart (Dutch websites; for those spending more time in the Netherlands). You get a discount with a Rotterdam Welcome Card (for tourists; tickets will be 2.5 euros).
Please also take a moment to look at the majestic building TENT Rotterdam has been housed in since 1999 (the building on the left in the picture above). It was designed by C.B van der Tak and constructed in 1872 – 1874 to house a higher civic school. It underwent multiple reconstructions until it started to serve as a house of art around 1990 for the Witte de With Center of Contemporary Art.
(Yes, I know I should go back to take a better picture in front of the building.)
Around TENT Rotterdam
The bars and cafes at the Witte de Withstraat are a very popular destination for locals and tourists. This area especially comes to life at night but there is also plenty to see during the day. See if you can find these mural paintings:
Other Museums in Rotterdam
Nearby you can also find Het Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam, a museum that combines architecture, design and digital culture to offer thought-provoking exhibitions about what matters to humans in the 21st century.
With your ticket for Het Nieuwe Instituut you can also enter Sonneveld House and in the same street you can find Chabot Museum.
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