Art & Design in Rotterdam
Gallery Untitled, photo by Sem Rietstap

Art & Design in Rotterdam

Rotterdam is a magnet for designers. It is also a magnet for design lovers. The city’s raw character offers plenty of inspiration. But where do you go if you want to discover exciting new work? These five galleries are in unusual places, from a former school to a skyscraper.

Gallery Untitled

An old school on Koningsveldestraat in Rotterdam-Noord has been transformed into a meeting place with studios for designers and artists, where de Kok and de Tuinman serve the most delicious lunch dishes. Photographer Lenny Oosterwijk established his gallery, which he started in his living room, in this beautiful building: Gallery Untitled. Explore all four rooms full of colourful, contemporary work by mostly Dutch creators such as Laura Schurink, Carlijn Kingma and the Rotterdam duo Wandschappen.

Gallery Vivid

Galerie Vivid has been a household name in the world of art and design since 1999. It was one of the first places where design was presented as art. Dutch design heroes like Studio Job and Hella Jongerius, but also international luminaries like Jaime Hayon, had their first pioneering exhibitions there. Vivid still features groundbreaking work by promising and established designers. The gallery is on the ground floor of the Red Apple residential tower.

Huidenclub

An old tannery in Rotterdam-West is home to De Huidenclub, where a group of artists, designers and thinkers create and work together on current social issues. They also organise group exhibitions, dinners and workshops. Residents include Supertoys Supertoys, a duo making a name for themselves with artistic and functional objects, and designers such as Sari Rikken, Carissa ten Teije and Jonas Lutz.

Contour Gallery

Muriel Jager created the Contour Gallery in Rotterdam’s Oude West district from a love of modern art and photography. She represents sculptors such as Elsemarijn Bruys, Petra Laaper and Dan Lam and photographers such as Margriet Smulders, Lars van den Brink and Samantha Everton. Jager gives her artists space; she provides a gallery that merely sketches the contours.

Studio Unfolded

Handmade ceramics, photography, design and delicacies: photographer Sophia van den Hoek brings it all together in her cosy little shop on the Nieuwe Binnenweg. She sells her work – spherical images of food, interiors and the extraordinary places she has travelled to – and that of independent designers and unusual, small labels. Chances are you’ll pop in for a coffee in the lush back garden and leave with an artwork or photo book.

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Rotterdam has a thriving design scene. Designers have embraced the city, and fairs such as the internationally renowned Object and museums and galleries are increasingly putting design in the spotlight. The City on the Maas also boasts excellent design shops offering unique products, furniture, objects and accessories.

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