Refresh Amsterdam #3: Imagine the Future
Amsterdam Museum
In honor of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary, the Amsterdam Museum presents the third edition of Refresh Amsterdam: a large-scale art event that explores current themes in the city and society. This edition is extra special: it is the last major exhibition at this location on the Amstel, where the museum has been located for many years.
15 contemporary artists
For Refresh Amsterdam #3: Imagine the Future, the Amsterdam Museum has commissioned 15 leading artists to create work on urgent themes that influence our collective future. From visual art and performances to photography, fictional archaeology, and speculative design. They not only explore how art and creativity can help us imagine what is to come, but also call on us to actively shape the future.
The artists are: Frank Ammerlaan, Sebastián Díaz Morales, Ivna Esajas, Koen Hauser, Raquel van Haver, Ischa Kempka, Minne Kersten, Natascha Libbert, Brigitte Louter, Fiona Lutjenhuis, Afagh Morrowatian & Roshanak Morrowatian, Buhlebezwe Siwani, Patricia Werneck Ribas, Don Yaw Kwaning & Maurits de Bruijn, and 4Siblings Collective.
The future is not a single path, but a landscape of possibilities. How could we shape it – as individuals, as a city, as a society?Some artists explore a utopian world in which community spirit and connection with nature are central. Others draw attention to the past: after all, you must first understand where you come from before you can know where you want to go. There are artists who focus on the apocalyptic aspects of the future. And artists for whom hope and optimism are the most important things when they think about the future. Each work focuses on how the past, present, and future are connected.
Guest curator Nina Folkersma
“In 2025, society will be facing major issues such as climate change, social inequality, and shifts in global power. This calls for new perspectives.”
According to Nina Folkersma, artists are the antennae of society and experts in depicting new visions. In her role as curator, she looks for ways in which art helps us to see the future not as a fixed fact, but as a dynamic and changing scenario in which we can all play a role.
