Zuid. Boijmans Van Beuningen

Zuid. was established as an external location of the museum in De Hillevliet, a former technical school in Hillesluis that now houses numerous social, cultural, and educational organizations. The museum operated in De Hillevliet from four classrooms spread across two floors. One space served as an office, while the other three were dedicated to the core components of the program.

Artist commissions

Local and international artists were invited, sometimes through an open call, to initiate a new artistic project in response to the location (commission), or to engage in artistic research (fellowship).

Educational partnerships

Collaborations were established with educational institutions. In addition to visiting the location, the aim was to work as partners as much as possible, starting from a shared question.

Extracurricular art education

Free art workshops were offered every Wednesday and Saturday in the Kunstwerkplaats (Art Workshop).

Message from the Pigeon

G.C. Heemskerk & Shani Leseman
2024

The work of Shani Leseman and G.C. Heemskerk explores (our relationship with) magic, rituals, and non-human life. With Message from the Pigeon, they delve into a subject close to their hearts: the life of the pigeon. Humans and pigeons have lived together for thousands of years, yet domestic pigeons often become feral and face a difficult existence in the city.

Heemskerk and Leseman searched for pigeons in Rotterdam South as well as within the collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. They approached the pigeons no longer as an art historical symbol of peace, love, hope, and the Holy Spirit, but as individual beings. Drawing from the collection and with the wellbeing of the pigeons in mind, they explored ways in which art can contribute to their lives.

During workshops, participants learn how to help pigeons by removing threads tangled around their legs. In another workshop, participants create clay portraits of pigeons. Leseman and Heemskerk work towards a pigeon altar where the pigeon is honored and given a voice. Throughout the space, the voice of the pigeon echoes, helping us understand how to better coexist with them and the world around us.

A Place at the Table

Ignace Cami
2024

Belgian artist Ignace Cami presented his project A Place at the Table in 2024. After research at the Depot, he focused on medieval drinking jugs. Cami started from an object in the museum’s collection: a small medieval drinking jug decorated with a face and a pointed nose, which, in a painting by 16th-century artist Pieter Aertsen, is depicted as a living being with its own stool at the dining table.

Cami wondered what these jugs might look like in today’s society. Together with Aebele Trijsburg, a traditional potter, he invited Rotterdam residents to the table to create their own versions of a face jug. Participants from Atelier Herenplaats, Pauluskerk Rotterdam, Stichting Mano, Theaterwerkplaats Formaat, and various neighbors joined in.

The jugs were fired in a traditional salt kiln and unveiled in a festive event during a well-attended symposium. In the Depot, a beardman jug from the collection was exhibited alongside a contemporary version. A publication by the artist was also released.

Mahjouba

Éric Van Hove
2023

Algerian-Belgian artist Éric van Hove developed his long-term project Mahjouba in a specially designed workshop within the spaces of Zuid. His own team, together with residents of Rotterdam South, were involved in the design and assembly of an electric scooter, which until then had been entirely manufactured in Morocco. This marked the final phase of the production process, and following this Rotterdam ‘stage,’ the e-scooter moved into actual production.

The prototype demonstrated that highly complex products can be made entirely using local knowledge, materials, and skills. This project is not only an exercise in craftsmanship but also creates moments for people to come together, fostering creativity, pride, and an awareness of cultural identity. A previous Mahjouba scooter is now part of the museum’s collection.

Hoffie

Pris Roos
2023

Pris Roos is a Rotterdam-based artist, curator, researcher, and storyteller. The toko (local shop) is a major source of inspiration for her: a place of gathering, colors, scents, food, stories, and a mix of people from diverse backgrounds. Her work reflects on themes such as identity, migration, and memory.

At Zuid., Roos worked on the project Hoffie, which consisted of a children’s library and a series of portraits. In Hoffie, she explored how the different values of the toko could be translated into the spaces of Zuid. Boijmans Van Beuningen. She invited fellow makers and artists to collaborate and reflect with her. Together with Gyonne Goedhoop, Hannah Jacques, and Judith Leijdekkers, she searched for the (children’s) books they wished they had read as kids — books addressing themes such as gender, identity, sexuality, sustainability, and culture.

A second part of the project consisted of three portraits created by Roos in collaboration with filmmaker Mel Opti and spoken word artist Carina Fernandes.

In the kitchen cupboard of...

Stijn Kemper and Alexandra van Dongen
2022

In the summer of 2021, the museum took a warm pot of soup into the streets of the Rotterdam neighborhood De Kiefhoek. Two staff members — programmer Stijn Kemper and curator Alexandra van Dongen — knocked on doors, shared a bowl of soup, and started conversations. These talks centered around people, the neighborhood, the museum, and above all, the everyday objects that play a meaningful role in daily life.

The museum holds a collection of art, but also of utilitarian objects. A collection can tell us something about the makers — but also about the users. Which objects tell us something about ourselves? Through their objects, we got to know several local residents. They showed us items ranging from pots, coffee cups, and spoons to rolling pins, kettles, and even a whistling spout — all accompanied by the stories behind them.

Together with theatre-maker Gabby Bakker, we searched for new ways to share and bring these stories to life. Inspired by the 16th-century tradition of the tafelspel (table play), Bakker wrote short performances in which two objects engage in dialogue about their similarities and differences. Each performance was a fictional encounter between two objects — but in reality, of course, between two neighbors.

The objects, stories, and performances came together in the 2022 exhibition "In the kitchen cupboard of..."

Overview of artists Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has collaborated with as part of the Zuid. program

Vince Blok, Franky Sticks, Creave Studio, Seecum Cheung, Priscila Fernandes, Wijnand Groenen, Marlou Fernanda, Fred Santos, Mar Muñoz Aparici, Pip Passchier, Alona van Rosmalen, Pris Roos, Latisha Sparks, Fenmei Hu, Éric Van Hove, Quentley Barbara, Cihad Caner, Alessandra Saviotti and Gemma Medina (with Arte Útil), Lotte Wieringa, Kenny Gomez, Metincan Güzel, Yi-Fei Chen, Ignace Cami, Thyrza Coenraad, Yi-Fei Chen, Harm Goslink Kuiper, G.C. Heemskerk & Shani Leseman.

With thanks to:
Fonds 21, Creative Industries Fund NL, Culture Fund, Mondriaan Fund, M.O.A.C. Gravin van Bylandt Foundation, Stichting Schouwenburgh, Stichting Groenendijk-Clemens.