HAPPENING 11-13 SEP 2026 | Big Art Rotterdam will take over the former Codrico factory on Katendrecht from Friday, 11 September, to Sunday, 13 September 2026. The large-scale art fair is coming to Rotterdam for the first time, bringing monumental paintings, sculptures, video art, photography, light works, and textile installations to one of the city’s most recognizable industrial sites.
Image: Art installation by Roos Schneijderberg. Photo: Jan Willem Kaldenbach
The three-day event gives you a rare chance to walk through the Codrico factory at Rijnhaven, a listed national monument (rijksmonument) that has long been closed to the public.
Big Art lands in Rotterdam
After eleven editions in and around Amsterdam, Big Art is moving to Rotterdam for the first time. Director Anne van der Zwaag describes the move as “an exciting step”, adding: “but the creativity and dynamism of the city fit Big Art perfectly. And the other way round.”
The pop-up platform is known for showing large-scale works in buildings with a strong character. This year, that setting is the Codrico site on Katendrecht, where raw industrial architecture, former silos and harbour history give the art a very Rotterdam backdrop.
The Codrico factory rises from the quayside at Rijnhaven as one of the clearest reminders of Rotterdam’s harbour industry. For decades, the site was a closed world of production, shipping and daily activity. That makes the September opening especially interesting. Big Art gives visitors access to rooms and spaces that were never designed as a white-cube gallery, but that now become part of the experience.
Codrico factory is located in Rijnhaven, Rotterdam. Photo: Sebastian van Damme
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Art meets industrial history
Big Art is not a standard art fair. Each edition adapts to the building it occupies, with the architecture shaping how the works are seen.
At Codrico, the mix will include drawings, paintings, sculptures, video art, photography, light works and textile installations. The factory’s worn surfaces, corridors and industrial rooms are expected to play an active role in how the works are presented.
Artists respond to Codrico
Artists are invited to visit the location in advance and respond to the building. In previous editions, this has often led to new work made specifically for the site. Artists already linked to the Rotterdam edition include Ritsert Mans, Liselore Frowijn, Angeline Dekker, Izaak Swartjes, Julia Kiiryanova and Sara Vrugt. Their work will sit alongside pieces by other established names and emerging talent.
Large painting by Majinggol & de Boer. Photo: Jan Willem Kaldenbach
New life on Katendrecht
The timing also matters because the Codrico site itself is entering a new phase. Now that factory activities have stopped, RED Company will transform the area into a new quarter on Katendrecht. Architect and developer Nanne de Ru says: “Codrico is an industrial enclave that will soon be redeveloped into a wonderful place to live and work. We are very pleased that Big Art is already showing the potential of the place.”
The redevelopment plans include homes, offices, shops, a hotel, hospitality venues, and cultural activities. The monumental character of the factory will remain part of the site’s identity.
For Rotterdam, the location sits in a particularly visible spot between FENIX and the Nederlands Fotomuseum. That places Big Art right in the middle of a part of the city where harbour heritage, culture and new urban life are already rubbing shoulders.
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Room-filling graphical work by Ran Kunst. Photo: Almicheal Fraay
Video installation by Viktoria Kova - VK Gallery. Photo: DavId van der Horst
Big Art Rotterdam details
Big Art Rotterdam takes place from Friday, 11 September to Sunday, 13 September 2026 at the Codrico factory on Veerlaan in Rotterdam. The event is open daily from 11:00 to 18:00. Tickets are available online and at the door for €16.50. Children under 16 can enter for free. More information is available via the Big Art website.
About Big Art
Big Art was founded by cultural entrepreneur Anne van der Zwaag, who is also director of the Rotterdam design fair OBJECT. The platform presents large-scale art by galleries and artists, with works on view and for sale. The organisation operates independently of commercial sponsors and cultural funds. Sales income goes to the participating galleries and artists.
How to get there
The Codrico factory is on Katendrecht, between FENIX and the Nederlands Fotomuseum. From Rotterdam Centraal, take the metro to Rijnhaven, then walk a few minutes towards the Codrico site. Parking is available nearby at Parkeergarage Rijnhaven, and bicycles can be parked around the site.
