ROTTERDAM, 8 April 2025 – A new mural on Coolsingel reflects the rhythm of the city and the inner journey of Rotterdam-based artist Tjado. The work transforms a construction site into a temporary gallery space.

Rotterdam artist Tjado adds waves of energy to Coolsingel mural

A new public artwork by local artist Tjado Astrando Boerleider has been unveiled on the construction hoarding of EDGE Coolsingel, as part of the ongoing 'Show me your heart' artist competition. The mural, which stretches eleven metres wide and two metres high, has been created to reflect the artist’s connection with Rotterdam and its ever-changing energy.

Tjado, a self-taught painter who also works as a chef, described the city as “a powerful wave that embraces and propels me forward.” This personal symbolism is reflected in his piece, which blends the natural motion of the sea with the structured pulse of urban life. Wave motifs and layered textures are central elements in the work, capturing what he describes as his relationship with overcoming fear and exploring new paths.

Tjado’s mural brings wave energy to Coolsingel

Construction site becomes open-air gallery

The EDGE Coolsingel Artist Competition has been set up to allow local artists to display their work in a central, public setting. Throughout the duration of the construction project, different artists are invited to create temporary murals on the construction fences. Each piece remains on view for approximately three months before a new work takes its place.

This initiative began in late 2024, with the first contribution from artist Melissa Moria. Tjado’s contribution marks the second phase of the competition, which will continue until August 2026. At the end of the competition, a final selection will be made, and the winning artist will be offered a permanent installation in the completed EDGE Coolsingel building.

Public input shapes the competition

The winning artwork will be chosen through a combination of public voting and input from the EDGE Coolsingel project team. Residents and visitors can learn more about the competition and vote via the official website www.showmeyour.art.

The initiative is supported by Edge, a property development company with ongoing projects in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The company focuses on integrating sustainable and innovative design within the built environment.

About the artist

Tjado is based in Rotterdam and is known for painting fluid, abstract compositions influenced by his surroundings and emotions. His dual life as a chef and visual artist informs a practice rooted in movement and transformation. More of his work can be viewed via his official website and Instagram (@tjadopaintings).

Location and directions

The artwork is located at Coolsingel 75, directly opposite Rotterdam City Hall (Stadhuis). The mural is displayed along the hoardings surrounding the EDGE Coolsingel development site. This area lies at the heart of Rotterdam's city centre and is easily accessible by tram, metro, and on foot from Rotterdam Central Station.

ROTTERDAM, 28 March 2025 – Artist Pris Roos has been awarded the 2025 NN Art Award. Her colourful installations are currently on view at Kunsthal Rotterdam.

Pris Roos receives 2025 NN Art Award at Kunsthal Rotterdam

Artist Pris Roos has been announced as the recipient of the 2025 NN Art Award. The announcement was made during Art Rotterdam, held at Rotterdam Ahoy from 28 to 30 March. The annual award recognises an artist who was educated in the Netherlands and whose work is featured at the fair. The prize includes a €10,000 grant aimed at supporting the further development of the artist’s practice.

Roos, who was born in Rhenen in 1984, is a visual artist, educator, curator, researcher and storyteller. She draws inspiration from her upbringing in her family's toko—a shop that served as a community hub for people from different backgrounds. The toko experience shaped her interest in themes such as identity, migration, and memory.

The jury's perspective

The jury highlighted Roos’ ability to depict everyday human encounters in a way that resonates broadly. Her colourful visual language and expressive installations were noted for transcending traditional portraiture, allowing the figures she portrays to be seen as heroic in ordinary contexts.

The jury praised not only the content of her work, but also her deliberate choice of materials. According to the jury report, Roos’ installations demonstrate a consistent and distinctive visual language, in which the medium reinforces the narrative.

Other nominated artists

Three other artists were shortlisted for the award:

• Marcos Kueh (Malaysia, 1995), whose woven billboards reflect a blend of traditional and contemporary narratives, influenced by his Malaysian heritage and studies in the Netherlands.

• Bodil Ouédraogo (Amsterdam, 1995), whose work investigates layered representations of identity through tangible connections to ancestry.

• Diana Scherer (Germany, 1971), known for her biotechnological explorations combining botany, textile, and sculpture to examine the relationship between humans and the natural environment.

Works by all four artists are on display at Kunsthal Rotterdam through Sunday, 11 May 2025.

About the award

The NN Art Award is presented annually in collaboration with Art Rotterdam and Kunsthal Rotterdam. Organisers state that authenticity and innovation are key selection criteria. The award is supported by Nationale-Nederlanden, which aims to make contemporary art more accessible while offering a platform to emerging artists.

How to visit

Directions to Kunsthal Rotterdam

Kunsthal Rotterdam is located in the Museumpark area, close to the Erasmus MC and Het Nieuwe Instituut. The venue is easily accessible by public transport, bicycle, or car. Visitors can expect a dynamic and wide-ranging exhibition programme within the iconic Rem Koolhaas-designed building.

ROTTERDAM, 3 April 2025 – A new temporary sculpture has been announced at Museum Rotterdam, honouring the late Eric Alblas. Known as 'the nitrous oxide man', Alblas was celebrated for his dedication to keeping the city’s streets clean.

Sculpture of ‘the nitrous oxide man’ unveiled in Coolhaven

A new artwork commemorating Eric Alblas (1960–2023), colloquially known as De lachgasman van Rotterdam (the nitrous oxide man of Rotterdam), is being exhibited at Museum Rotterdam '40–'45 NU. Created by artist André Pielage, the sculpture features Alblas in his mobility scooter, constructed entirely from thousands of discarded nitrous oxide canisters he personally collected from the streets of Rotterdam.

The sculpture will be officially unveiled on 24 May 2025, exactly two years after Alblas’s passing. The event will be preceded by the annual Eric Alblas Memorial Cleanup, organised by Zwerfie Rotterdam, tracing Alblas’s regular cleaning route from Maashaven to Noordereiland.

Tribute to civic dedication

Alblas, who lived with haemophilia and later became reliant on a wheelchair, began collecting nitrous oxide cartridges (lachgaspatronen) after witnessing someone slip on one. Armed with a grabber and magnet, he patrolled the city daily, reportedly collecting up to a thousand canisters per round. In recognition of his civic efforts, Alblas was awarded the Erasmus Medal in 2022.

Due to increasing pain and complications related to his illness, Alblas chose euthanasia on 24 May 2023. His farewell message, printed on his funeral card, read: “Will you keep Rotterdam clean and safe? I’m on my final round.”

From street waste to sculpture

Artist André Pielage first connected with Alblas in 2018 while working on Out Loud, a project that warned against recreational nitrous oxide use. Alblas contributed collected canisters for the piece, which has since been installed in Haarlem. This collaboration led to a lasting connection, and eventually to the concept of immortalising Alblas in sculpture.

Support for the project came from Ivo Rodermans of Zwerfie Rotterdam, who helped secure funding from the Mondriaan Fund and an anonymous private donor. Zwerfie, a volunteer organisation focused on litter reduction, counts nearly 500 active members and continues to advocate for cleaner public spaces. The group also campaigns for a nationwide deposit scheme for used nitrous oxide cylinders, due to their rising presence in public spaces and the associated explosion risks in waste facilities.

Museum Rotterdam hosts temporary presentation

Museum Rotterdam embraced the sculpture as a meaningful addition to its pop-up series at the Coolhaven location. The work aligns with the museum’s mission to reflect the lives and contributions of everyday Rotterdammers. It will be exhibited alongside historical sanitation artefacts, such as a 1927 bicycle sweeper and a 1994 Opzoomerbezem (neighbourhood clean-up broom).

The temporary installation offers an opportunity to explore contemporary urban heritage. It will remain on view until the end of September 2025. Entry to the pop-up presentation is free, while regular admission fees apply to the permanent Museum Rotterdam '40–'45 NU exhibitions.

About the location

Visiting the pop-up at Museum Rotterdam

The exhibition is housed in Museum Rotterdam '40–'45 NU, situated at Coolhaven. The area is accessible via metro, tram and bicycle, and lies in close proximity to Erasmus MC and the historic Delfshaven district. The site offers a reflective space to consider local stories and the evolving identity of Rotterdam.

ROTTERDAM, 29 March 2025 – Rotterdam’s summer music scene is opening up to fresh talent and creative organisers as North Sea Round Town issues its annual open call. The festival invites artists and curators to pitch innovative concepts that could become part of the city’s most widespread music event.

Open call announced for North Sea Round Town 2025

Organisers of North Sea Round Town (NSRT), the official fringe festival of NN North Sea Jazz, have launched their annual open call, seeking proposals for music-related events to take place between 26 June and 13 July 2025 across Rotterdam. The call is open until 15 April 2025.

Each year, NSRT brings live music to unexpected locations throughout the city, ranging from churches and gardens to nightclubs and neighbourhood squares. The festival aims to connect scenes, generations, and communities through a broad range of genres including jazz, hip-hop, experimental, and electronic.

Focus on innovation, diversity, and inclusion

Applicants are encouraged to submit concepts that offer new perspectives and engage with Rotterdam’s diverse communities. Projects should demonstrate artistic innovation, contribute to the local cultural landscape, and be accessible to a wide audience.

Preference will be given to proposals that:

• Support young and emerging talent

• Foster collaborations between established and upcoming artists

• Offer unique or exclusive experiences not found elsewhere in the city

• Prioritise smaller ensembles to ensure feasibility

• Promote cultural, generational, and gender diversity

NSRT also encourages new initiatives and debut projects, provided the applicant has secured a venue.

Application requirements and eligibility

Applications are welcomed from a variety of applicants, including musicians, cultural venues, creative producers, and music collectives. However, applicants must already have a confirmed venue in Rotterdam. NSRT does not mediate between artists and venues.

Those eligible include:

• Venue hosts submitting a confirmed act or band

• Artists with a confirmed venue and at least one music release between 2024 and July 2025

• Creators or project coordinators with a full production and marketing plan

• New initiatives that contribute to the city's evolving musical identity

Projects must be submitted with a clear vision, a confirmed venue, a production plan, and a marketing strategy.

Financial support and fair pay policy

While NSRT may offer financial contributions, funding is limited. Selected proposals may be eligible for up to 50% of the SENA standard musician’s fee (€330 per performance), capped at €165 per musician. This applies only to complete applications.

All participating musicians must be paid fairly according to SENA guidelines, even if NSRT financial support is not granted. Student performers may be compensated at 50% of the SENA rate. Compensation for semi-professional artists or workshop-related events will be considered individually.

NSRT is not a funding organisation and encourages applicants to ensure financial feasibility before applying.

Key considerations for applicants

Organisers advise applicants to avoid programming the same performance in Rotterdam within three months prior or one month following the festival. Proposals that do not meet this requirement may be removed from the final line-up.

The selection committee will prioritise proposals that are:

• Realistic in scope and budget

• Accessible to the public, ideally with free or low-cost entry

• Environmentally and logistically sustainable

• Distinct from other events taking place in the same period

Applicants who are also receiving support under the Nationaal Podium Plan (NPP) may not be eligible for additional NSRT funding, due to co-financing regulations.

How to apply

Interested parties must submit their proposals no later than 15 April 2025. Applications can be submitted through the official North Sea Round Town website.

Those selected will have their events included in the festival’s promotional campaign and programme.

Event locations and directions

Where the festival takes place

North Sea Round Town events are held across Rotterdam, in both well-known and unexpected locations. From intimate neighbourhood spaces to iconic cultural venues, the city becomes the festival stage.

Festival organisers recommend planning performances in areas that are easily accessible to the public, such as community centres, parks, or cultural institutions.