Rotterdam Cultural Histories #5: Summer Carnival, the first years

This fifth edition of Rotterdam Cultural Histories featured Robert De Hartogh’s photos of the early years of the Rotterdam Zomercarnaval (Summer Carnival). The pictures show the birth of a unique explosion of creativity in which the cultural, economic, social, and political ideas about the city come together.

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The Rotterdam Summer Carnival was held for the first time in 1984 and attracted more than 15,000 visitors. Now, more than thirty years later and with more than 750,000 visitors, the Summer Carnival’s parade is regarded as one of the biggest events in the Netherlands, and it has always remained true to its Caribbean roots. De Hartogh’s photos of the Summer Carnival’s early years show a new and colourful Rotterdam.

Rotterdam Cultural Histories #5 was curated by Mariette Dölle in collaboration with Robert de Hartogh, in the context of the exhibitions ‘On The Other Side Of Reality’ at TENT and ‘NO HUMANS INVOLVED’ at Witte de With.

Special thanks to: Stichting Zomercarnaval, Karel Willems, Stadsarchief Rotterdam.

Rotterdam Cultural Histories
In Shared Space, our shared exhibition space on the second floor, TENT and Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art alternatingly create presentations on subjects from the history of art and culture in Rotterdam. This collaborative series was conceived by Defne Ayas (Witte de With) and Mariette Dölle (TENT) in 2014 to explore the common roots of both institutions in Rotterdam.