Lovers of contemporary art can visit the exhibition space of Garage Rotterdam in the centre of Rotterdam. Medium in size, the exhibition space immediately attracts attention because of its unique location; a former Volkswagen Garage. Architect Remy Meijers transformed the inside in 2011, creating a coffee bar in addition to the art space. Ideal for artists to show their work and socialize with fellow artists and visitors. At Garage Rotterdam, the concept of ‘floor’ is central. The public has the opportunity to look at the world creatively, holding up a mirror.

Garage Rotterdam

The 500 m2 non-profit space offers a unique opportunity for both local and international artists to show their creative expressions to the public. With four exhibitions a year, Garage Rotterdam sets the bar high for the ambitious artist. Based on a variety of themes, a variety of social topics are discussed that made visual through art.  For example, the subject of the Lost Painters makes visitors think about our relationship with nature. The artists point to the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus because man appears to be vulnerable to something that was previously unrelated to man, and that was only limited to bats and pangolins. The artists point out that before this pandemic, the world had many warnings. Another exhibition in 2017 was ‘Humble’. Some starting points were that humility is by no means the same as lack of self-confidence or submission, and that humble man, on the contrary, possesses a healthy dose of self-knowledge. In the exhibition ‘Animalia’, the artist asked visitors to look at the world from an animal’s perspective. The exhibition showed an animal world in the form of mythology, voodoo, humour, historical collections and performances. A central question was what people see when the human perspective isn’t there.

Fuel in Garage Rotterdam

The exhibition programmes of Garage Rotterdam also have a public programme, in which there is attention for further deepening. Fuel’ is a recurring programme. In addition to lectures and music, the sections talks and performances are also regularly discussed. Natafelen’ is part of the culinary evening, including a three-course dinner. It is possible to visit the exhibition both before and after dinner.

Garage Rotterdam always has overarching themes, focused on recent developments in contemporary art.