© De Huidenclub / Photography: Dudok Groep – De Huidenclub’s listed industrial venue in Rotterdam

Last year, Art Rotterdam, one of the Netherlands‘ biggest annual contemporary art fairs, narrowly escaped the pandemic lockdown measures, but the event is back, albeit scheduled a few months later than usual on Jul 1-4, it’s brimming with coveted new treasures from both homegrown and international creative talent. Art Rotterdam‘s 22nd edition is once again held at the Van Nelle Factory, one of Rotterdam‘s landmark buildings, featuring plenty to experience and discover indoors and around the building, including large-scale works of art and installations, many of which have been created especially for the occasion. The indoor exhibition space measures over 10,000 sqm. (107,639 sq.ft.) and sees more than 100 art galleries from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland and Denmark present their finest. Alongside the much-publicised Art Rotterdam headliner, an exciting and new experimental platform for contemporary culture has emerged, temporarily opening its doors as of today (invite-only) for the coming five days—mind you, the venue will be thoroughly revamped right after and is scheduled to reopen coming Fall. Dubbed De Huidenclub, it occupies Diepeveen, a listed former tannery, hence the name (huiden means ‘hides’ in English), it offers a new workspace and platform for the city’s creative community, while also aiming to further the careers of its residents, and interestingly, presenting a rotating programme of exhibitions. The inaugural event of De Huidenclub is themed ‘Self-Assemble’, and sees no less than three shows on the premises, all focused on art and design, while also addressing how as a bottom-up non-institution it can actually self-assemble and strategically address societal and ecological justice at the same time.

De Huidenclub
Diepeveen, Pelgrimstraat 5C
3029BH Rotterdam

Art Rotterdam
Van Nelle Factory, Van Nelleweg 1
3044BC Rotterdam

© De Huidenclub / Théophile Donna / Lee Wei Swee + Victor Hunt