FROM 28 NOV 2025–1 NOV 2026 | The Belasting & Douane Museum in Rotterdam is opening a new temporary exhibition about the Dutch childcare benefits scandal. Toeslagen Tragedie focuses on the families affected and on how such a failure in government should never be repeated.

Exhibition shows the impact of the benefits scandal

The Belasting & Douane Museum is presenting Toeslagen Tragedie, a temporary exhibition about the years in which the childcare benefits scandal unfolded, up to the fall of the government on 15 January 2021. The exhibition will be officially opened by State Secretary for Recovery and Benefits, Sandra Palmen.

Between 2005 and 2019, thousands of families were wrongly labelled as fraudsters or severely penalised for minor mistakes. Many ended up in long-term poverty, burdened by rising debts and financial stress, sometimes losing their jobs, homes, relationships or even the care of their children. The exhibition places these experiences at the centre rather than treating them as abstract policy failures.

In a setting of broken mirrors and rusted gears, Toeslagen Tragedie shows how lives were damaged by serious failings in the system. The visual language reflects trust that has been shattered and bureaucratic machinery that has ground people down.

Visitors encounter personal stories and fragments from different perspectives, including those of parents, officials and observers. The aim is to offer insight into what went wrong at multiple levels while keeping the experiences of those affected in clear view.

Why this exhibition matters

The museum presents the exhibition as a way of keeping the subject in public view. The childcare benefits scandal is framed as a chapter that should not be forgotten and, above all, should not be allowed to happen again.

Toeslagen Tragedie runs for almost a year, during which the museum will organise a programme of activities, meetings, conversations and future oriented debates. With this, the Belasting & Douane Museum hopes to contribute both to remembrance and to discussion about how the relationship between citizens and government can be rebuilt.

Practical information

Toeslagen Tragedie is on show at the Belasting & Douane Museum, Parklaan 14-16, 3016 BB Rotterdam. The exhibition runs from 28 November 2025 to 1 November 2026. The museum is open daily from 11.00 to 17.00. Standard admission conditions for the museum apply.

How to get to the Belasting & Douane museum

The Belasting & Douane Museum is located on Parklaan in the Scheepvaartkwartier district, close to the Veerhaven and within walking distance of Museumpark. The area is characterised by historic townhouses, tree lined streets and several museums clustered together.

The museum can be reached by tram via stops near Westplein or Vasteland, followed by a short walk through the neighbourhood. Cyclists can follow routes along Westzeedijk and the Maas, while drivers can use nearby street parking or car parks in the area and continue the last stretch on foot.

HAPPENING 27–29 March 2026 | Every year, Art Rotterdam draws art, artists, and collectors from all over the world. As the premier art fair in the Netherlands, Art Rotterdam is a great opportunity to view and even purchase spectacular new art from local and international artists.

What is Art Rotterdam?

Art Rotterdam is the main art fair in the Netherlands. The annual fair provides a platform for the newest developments in visual art. In particular, the fair's focus on recent art, the variety of its participants and sections, the event's connection with the city of Rotterdam and the iconic location (Van Nelle factory) give Art Rotterdam a unique atmosphere that is unlike any other.   For an increasing number of art professionals and collectors worldwide, Art Rotterdam has become a preferred destination within the international field of art fairs. The event attracts more visitors from the Netherlands and abroad each year.  

Art Rotterdam 2025

The 2026 edition promises an even stronger blend of visual art, photography, video, sculpture and installation, reaffirming Rotterdam’s position as one of Europe’s most dynamic art cities. 

The fair brings together galleries, artists and collectors from the Netherlands and abroad for three days of exhibitions and encounters. By relocating to Ahoy Rotterdam in 2025, Art Rotterdam gained more space and accessibility, and next year’s event aims to build on that success with a clearer structure and curated focus.

Visitors can expect a compact, sharply curated photography selection alongside returning sections for new media and large-scale installations. The fair continues to highlight rising talent while maintaining a strong international outlook.

Unseen Photo @ Art Rotterdam

The collaboration between Art Rotterdam and Unseen Photo marks a milestone for the fair. Known for championing emerging photographers, Unseen brings its distinct identity and curatorial expertise into Ahoy, enriching the experience for both local and international audiences.

“By combining the energy of Unseen with the broad scope of Art Rotterdam, we’re creating a platform that encourages discovery,” the organisers explain. The partnership aims to strengthen the city’s reputation as a hub for contemporary photography, while keeping Unseen’s mission of supporting new voices fully intact.

Unseen Book Market @ Nederlands Fotomuseum

Running parallel to the main fair, the Unseen Book Market will take place at the newly reopened Nederlands Fotomuseum, located just minutes from Ahoy on the Wilhelminapier. Around 40 independent publishers will showcase and sell photobooks in the museum’s spacious new foyer.

This satellite event offers an ideal moment for collectors, students and enthusiasts to discover new publications, meet artists and browse rare editions in an inspiring environment.

Location and directions

Art Rotterdam 2026 takes place at Rotterdam Ahoy, easily reached by metro (Zuidplein station) or bicycle from the city centre. The Unseen Book Market is hosted at the Nederlands Fotomuseum, accessible via metro (Wilhelminaplein) or by water taxi from Leuvehaven.

For more information and updates, you can visit the official Art Rotterdam website.

DHB Bank as main sponsor and a special sound art project

DHB Bank has joined as Art Rotterdam’s main sponsor. In the DHB Art Space, the Rotterdam-based collective Unity in Diversity Rotterdam (UID) presents the interactive sound artwork Echoes of Us, by media artist Pedro Gil Farias. This work reflects on the aspirations of Rotterdam-Zuid residents and invites visitors to share their own visions for the future.

Notable artists and installations

Among the highlights of this edition are:

• Diana Scherer – Interwoven (Intersections): A bio-technological artwork that explores organic textile growth.
• Mercedes Azpilicueta – The Dancing Tables (New Art Section): A performance and sculptural installation exploring spiritualism.
• Jonas Brinker – Untitled (25.07.2022, 02:14 AM) (Projections): A video work depicting a dragonfly on Times Square.
• Atelier Van Lieshout – Tomb of the Unknown Artist (Sculpture Park): A sculptural tribute to artists whose work remains unrecognised.

Talks Programme: Reflections

The Reflections programme introduces an expanded schedule of lectures, Q&A sessions, and interactive presentations. Artists, museum directors, curators, and art professionals will discuss contemporary issues in the art world.

Highlights from the Reflections programme:

• Q&A with art historian Meta Knol, featuring Tjebbe Beekman, Diana Scherer, and Laurien Dumbar, discussing pivotal moments in their artistic careers.
• Lecture by Heske ten Cate and Laurie Cluitmans on the Centraal Museum exhibition Good Mom/Bad Mom, which explores motherhood myths and personal reflections by contemporary artists.
• Interview with artist Hans van der Ham, led by art editor Lucette ter Borg, discussing his work and curatorial approach.
• Panel discussion on cultural transitions, with curator Fatoş Üstek and social architect Rubiah Balsem, examining the future of institutional practices in the arts.
• Get a Grant event by the Mondriaan Fund, offering guidance for emerging artists on funding opportunities.
• Talk by Fenix museum director Anne Kremers on Rotterdam’s new migration-focused art museum, opening in May 2025.

The Reflections programme is part of Intersections and is free for visitors during the fair. On Friday, 28 March, the programme will focus on students and art professionals.

NN Art Award 2025 returns to Kunsthal Rotterdam

The NN Art Award, now in its ninth edition, recognises talented artists who have studied in the Netherlands and are exhibiting at Art Rotterdam. The winner will be announced at Kunsthal Rotterdam on Friday, 28 March, with all nominees' works on display from 15 March to 11 May.

The four nominees for the NN Art Award 2025 are:

• Bodil Ouédraogo (Prospects) – sculptures created from 3D-printed PLA, aluminium, and crystal, in collaboration with professional studios.
• Pris Roos (Mini Galerie) – a series of drawings exploring identity, migration, and memory, accompanied by large cardboard installations.
• Marcos Kueh (Prospects, courtesy of Galerie Ron Mandos) – woven installations connecting heritage and contemporary narratives.
• Diana Scherer (andriesse eyck galerie) – works from Interwoven, a project examining the domestication of plant root systems.

How to buy art at Art Rotterdam?

If you're an art lover or collector looking to buy art, this is also a great opportunity to do so. To check out the available art beforehand, visit GalleryViewer.com. The site displays the online catalogue of Art Rotterdam prior to the fair's opening. This catalogue includes all the works of art exhibited by participating galleries, including their price range, a short biography, videos and recommendations. GalleryViewer.com is Art Rotterdam's online platform, specially built to support potential art buyers. The site maintains an extensive database of artworks, exhibitions, and artist profiles. More than 45 participating galleries have been chosen for their high-quality selection.  

Location: Rotterdam Ahoy

Rotterdam Ahoy is situated in the south of the city and is easily accessible by public transport, bicycle, and car. It is located near Zuidplein metro station, with direct connections to Rotterdam Central Station.

From 13 DEC 2025 to 8 MAR 2026 | Kunsthal Rotterdam presents Destination Rotterdam, an exhibition that traces how Rotterdam evolved from a classical merchant city into a modern metropolis at the turn of the twentieth century. It was a period when curious travellers — armed with the iconic red Baedeker guide — came to explore a city known for its clean streets, modern harbour works and growing international appeal.

_{Image: Tourists at the Oosterkade, August Willem van Voorden, c. 1915. Courtesy of Museum Rotterdam.}

Destination Rotterdam at Kunsthal Rotterdam

From 13 December 2025 to 8 March 2026, Kunsthal Rotterdam presents Destination Rotterdam, an exhibition that explores how visitors have viewed the city over the past 125 years. Set in Hall 5 of the Kunsthal, the exhibition focuses on the period around 1900, when Rotterdam was rapidly changing and beginning to appear more frequently on international travel itineraries. 

At the heart of the exhibition is the red Baedeker travel guide (Baedeker-reisgids), published by German publisher Karl Baedeker. These compact books, issued in several languages, offered travellers practical information, detailed maps, and suggestions on what to see. Rotterdam first appeared in a Baedeker guide in 1835 as a recommended stop on a journey along the Rhine. In Destination Rotterdam, locations described in the guide are brought together through around twenty paintings from the collection of Museum Rotterdam, allowing visitors to compare the city on the page with the city on canvas. 

Rotterdam through Baedeker’s eyes

The exhibition invites visitors to follow in the footsteps of early tourists who arrived in a city that was very much in motion. In the 1871 edition, Baedeker described Rotterdam as “one of the cleanest, least smoky, and most pleasant of all the merchant cities.” That short line offers a glimpse of how the city presented itself before major harbour expansions reshaped its skyline and waterfront. 

Soon after, the construction of the Nieuwe Waterweg [New Waterway] and expansion towards the south led to a sharp rise in shipping activities and population growth. Artists such as Johan Barthold Jongkind and Marius Richters documented this transformation, from the activity at Leuvehaven to the elevated railway over the Kolk. Their works, included in the exhibition, show Rotterdam at the point where traditional harbours, new infrastructure and industrial modernity began to overlap. 

From merchant city to modern metropolis

By the end of the nineteenth century, new landmarks further altered the city’s profile. The high-rise office building Het Witte Huis [the White House], completed in 1898, signalled a shift from an inland harbour town towards an urban district with a more vertical skyline. Paintings of busy quays, rail structures and commercial streets suggest how visitors arriving with a Baedeker in hand would have encountered a city negotiating between old and new. 

The exhibition also touches on the social and cultural life around the harbour. A work by August Willem van Voorden shows three well-dressed women on the Oosterkade, absorbed in their red guidebook, while views of the Oudehaven [Old Harbour] include large posters advertising theatres and dance halls to passing tourists. Destination Rotterdam is presented as a collaboration between Kunsthal Rotterdam and Museum Rotterdam, linking an international exhibition venue with a city museum collection that has preserved many of these historical scenes. 

How to get to Kunsthal Rotterdam

Kunsthal Rotterdam is located in the Museumpark, next to Erasmus MC and close to other cultural institutions such as Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam. The area sits on the edge of the city centre, a short walk or tram ride from Rotterdam Centraal, and is surrounded by green space and busy traffic routes along the Westzeedijk. 

Visitors arriving by car are advised to use the Museumpark car park, while those travelling by public transport can reach the area via tram stops such as Vasteland and Kievitslaan, followed by a short walk through the Museumpark. 

HAPPENING 8 NOV 2025 | The Wereldmuseum Rotterdam hosts An Evening with Marlou Fernanda, an inspiring night dedicated to one of Rotterdam’s most expressive multidisciplinary artists. Organised by Roffa Mon Amour, the Wereldmuseum and De Kunstfabriek, the event brings together art, film and live performance in an intimate setting.

The evening celebrates Marlou Fernanda’s distinctive voice as a visual artist who moves fluidly between painting, film and performance — always exploring questions of identity, belonging and emotion through a deeply personal lens.

Programme highlights

19:00 – Exhibition opening: A Time for Everything
Explore Fernanda’s current solo exhibition at the Wereldmuseum, which examines self-reflection, cultural heritage and personal growth through vibrant imagery.
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20:00 – Performance: Moze Naél
Singer-songwriter Moze Naél sets the tone with an atmospheric live set blending poetry and soul, creating a bridge between sound and visual art.

20:15 – Artist talk: Marlou Fernanda in conversation with Shaquille
A candid discussion about Fernanda’s artistic journey, inspiration and the themes shaping her work.

20:45 – Film screening: Waar ga ik heen?
The evening closes with Fernanda’s introspective short film, exploring the complexity of navigating identity and purpose as a young artist.
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About Marlou Fernanda

Marlou Fernanda is a Rotterdam-based visual artist known for her multidisciplinary approach that spans painting, photography, video and performance. Her work combines vibrant colour palettes with introspective storytelling, often inspired by themes of womanhood, self-expression and the cultural intersections of city life.

An Evening with Marlou Fernanda offers audiences a chance to connect directly with her work, her thoughts and the community that surrounds her practice.

Location and directions

The event takes place at Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, located on Willemskade with a panoramic view of the Maas. The venue is easily accessible by tram, metro or on foot from Leuvehaven metro station.