About TENT

We are TENT. From our new permanent location at Rotterdam’s Coolhaven and through nomadic projects, we connect artists, the public, and the city.

As a production house for Rotterdam-based creators, we work with boundless curiosity. We explore the many forms that art can take, the places where art can take root or resonate, the diverse audiences that artists can reach with their work, and the voices that others want to contribute. We build programs where artistic and social encounters blend, creating space for co-creation to flourish.

You’ll find our ongoing program [soon] in a former harbor laboratory, right in the heart of the city. Here, we realize exhibitions, a variety of events, and educational activities. It’s a space to gather, drop in for a moment, or stay longer. Here, we engage in long-term collaborations with our neighbors and the creative communities around us.

Our nomadic projects can frequently be found throughout the city. Here, we take the freedom to work with creators to find the best form, place, and partners to delve into specific topics and involve people in the process. By continually connecting artists, the public, and the city, we also challenge ourselves as a production house to learn from the city we are part of.

TENT is a member of De Zaak Nu.

History
Our venue serves as the Exhibition Department of the Centrum Beeldende Kunst Rotterdam. From September 9, 1999, until May 1, 2024, we were located at Witte de Withstraat 50. TENT is the continuation of Villa Alckmaer, the exhibition space of the Centrum Beeldende Kunst that had been situated at Westersingel since 1994. Initially, TENT was led by the trio Ove Lucas, Arno van Roosmalen, and Thomas Meijer zu Schlochtern. Ove Lucas became the director of the Centrum Beeldende Kunst Rotterdam in 2006, while Thomas Meijer zu Schlochtern was responsible for international policy until February 2011. Arno van Roosmalen left in 2004 to become the director of Stroom Den Haag. From 2006 to 2016, Mariette Dölle served as the artistic leader of TENT. Since October 2016, Anke Bangma has taken on the role of artistic leader.

On behalf of CBK Rotterdam, we created a documentary in 2019, in collaboration with Christiaan van Schemerbeek (Studio Moois TV) and André Marques and Tim Wes (T&D), celebrating 20 years of TENT.

TENT is a member of De Zaak Nu and is a programme of CBK Rotterdam.