FROM 21 MAR–21 JUN '26 | Illustrator Floor Rieder will present Scratch, scratch, scratch at Kunsthal Rotterdam from 21 March to 21 June 2026. The exhibition in HALL 7 will show how Rieder builds her striking illustrations by scratching light into black-painted glass, while giving visitors of all ages the chance to try the technique themselves.
If you know Floor Rieder’s work, you will probably recognise it straight away. Her images are sharp, graphic and full of detail, but they also carry a fairytale mood that fits stories such as Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.
That combination is central to this exhibition. Kunsthal Rotterdam will show illustrations from Rieder’s editions of both classics, while also opening up the process behind them, from first sketch to finished image.
How Floor Rieder builds an image
Rieder works with black paint on glass and a sharp etching pen. She begins by painting the glass plates completely black and carefully mapping out the composition before scratching away the paint line by line.
Wherever she scratches, light appears. That strong contrast between black and white forms the basis of her visual language, after which colour is added digitally to create more atmosphere and depth. The result gives familiar stories a fresh visual identity, including a version of Peter Pan wearing a hoodie.
What you can see in HALL 7
Visitors to Scratch, scratch, scratch will be able to follow that process step by step. Original glass plates show how an image develops, sketches reveal how ideas take shape, and storyboards show how separate illustrations eventually become part of a complete book.
The exhibition also includes work linked to Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, making it especially accessible if you already know those stories and want to see how they can be reimagined visually without losing their magic.
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Visitors can make work too
Kunsthal is also giving the exhibition a hands-on side. Visitors of all ages can try the scratching technique themselves, create their own illustration and see how an image comes alive through light.
There are also activities built around designing a map of your own Neverland, projecting characters from Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, and using a discovery map to search for small details hidden in the exhibition space.
About Floor Rieder
Floor Rieder was born in 1985 in Zwolle and studied Illustration at ArtEZ in Zwolle. She broke through in 2013 with her illustrations for The Mystery of Everything That Lives by Jan Paul Schutten, a project that earned her both a Silver Brush and a Golden Brush.
Since then, she has built a broad body of work that stretches well beyond books. Alongside illustrating classics such as Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, she has also made illustrated reviews for publications including de Volkskrant, as well as wall paintings and sets for theatre and television.
More information
More information: https://www.kunsthal.nl/en/plan-your-visit/exhibitions/floor-rieder-scratch-scratch-scratch/
