Water Cities Rotterdam. By Kunlé Adeyemi

Join artists Shertise Solano and Thijs de Zeeuw as they submerge us in their watery worlds. Selected works from the National Collection for Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning are also on show.

Kunlé Adeyemi | NLÉ

Kunlé Adeyemi was born in Nigeria and lives and works in the Netherlands. Together with his agency NLÉ, for the past decade he has been researching the relationship between cities and water, rising sea levels and housing shortages. He studies coastal African cities where rapid urbanisation and rising water levels are leading to major challenges and innovative solutions. Inspired by this, he has developed a floating construction system which was awarded the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale where it was previously shown. Now it can be seen for the first time in the Netherlands, as the floating pavillion MFS IRR – Water City Rotterdam at the Nieuwe Instituut.

Shertise Solano

You can also explore our spiritual and physical relationship with water with artist Shertise Solano, in work especially created for this exhibition. Solano is inspired by Caribbean myths and her ancestral history.

Thijs de Zeeuw

Then get to know the fish in the ponds and even find out how they experience your presence, thanks to the contribution of landscape architect and artist Thijs de Zeeuw. His work enhances the biodiversity of the ponds.

Activities

Accompanying Water Cities Rotterdam is an activity programme organised in collaboration with Rotterdam Architecture Month and other partners, with regular guided tours. There’s a family expedition for children and their families, plus a special edition of Familiefest, a day when families get to be VIPs. For more information, see the Nieuwe Instituut’s online agenda.