Unknown Landscapes

Join us during the festive opening of Unknown Landscapes on Friday 23 May, 7 PM at Garage Rotterdam. Unknown Landscapes is the first exhibition by curator Cynthia Jordens for Garage Rotterdam.

Artists: Yael Bartana, Monali Meher, Danaë Moons, Katarina Zdjelar, Yeesookyung

From a sense of urgency regarding our human rights and environmental crisis, the concept of transformation is explored through three exhibitions at Garage Rotterdam, under the heading How to live together. 

The first exhibition in this series, Unknown Landscapes, of which the title refers to Monali Meher’s installation Unknown Landscape, revolves around the concept of repair. Interpreted through the lens of philosopher Eva von Redecker, this exhibition explores repair as the opposite of ‘revolution’. Although both suggest a transformation, the concept of repair does not involve a radical break, but rather a change that creates something new, through and out of the in-between spaces of the old. A reparative approach is not about a ‘technological fix’ or a return to the past without critical examination, but rather about recognizing a damaged or broken social, cultural or ecological context. 

How can art contribute to a new grammar of existence? How can we find new meanings in what has been repaired? The exhibition Unknown Landscapes navigates on a state of brokenness and connects harm and reparation to care and transformation. 

Join us on Thursday evening the 5th of June for another edition of Brandstof, to dive deeper into our exhibition Unknown Landscapes.

About the performance
Nadia Bekkers (graduated from the School for New Dance Development, 2026) is one of the performers featured in Katarina Zdjelar’s installation Not A Pillar Not A Pile (2017/2025) in Unknown Landscapes. In recent years, Bekkers has focused on her work with the collective Papaya Kuir, of which she is a co-founder. During Brandstof, Bekkers presents a new performance in which she enters into a dialogue with her own film footage from her new living environment: the mountains of Spain. Inspired by magical realism and dreamlike atmospheres, her performance explores questions surrounding masculinity and violence.

Brandstof tickets | €5,00.
You can RSVP online (appreciated but not mandatory) or purchase a ticket at our door. 

Join us on Friday evening the 4th of July for another edition of Natafelen!

Dining among art? Yes, that’s possible at Garage Rotterdam. On 4 July, you can reserve a seat at our dinner table to enjoy a delicious four course menu and wine pairing in between the artworks of the exhibition Unknown Landscapes. The curator of this exhibition – Cynthia Jordens – together with some of the artists will be present during the evening.

More information about the evening program will follow soon! 

Do you want to reserve a seat at our dinner table already? Limited spots available. Send an email to info@garagerotterdam.nl before June 26 and mention with how many people you would like to come and if you want to make use of a wine pairing next to the dinner.

Pricing
Four course menu created by chef Marnix Benschop | €50,00
Wine pairing by the Rotterdam-based Gouden Ton | €30,00

Performance by cellist Nina Hitz, vocalist Tisa World and dancer Myriam Méret in Katarina Zdjelar’s installation Becoming Alphabet

Wednesday 9 July | 3.30 – 5.30 PM

One of the works on show in our current exhibition Unknown Landscapes, is the installation Becoming Alphabet (2023) by Katarina Zdjelar. “The sinuous glass pieces in Becoming Alphabet (2023), evoke the sense of an alphabet being created or rediscovered – perhaps representing forgotten or unknown forms of expression. These forms resemble a dance or fragmented sentences composed of “orphan signs” – symbols or letters that stand alone or lack connection to established systems. It invites viewers to imagine collective engagement in the “unknown,” proposing this as an open- ended, speculative question about togetherness as something that is in the making.”

During a special performance on Wednesday 9 July, the installation Becoming Alphabet functions as a score and invites the artists Nina Hitz, Tisa World and Myriam Méret for improvisation.

Prior to the performance, our curator Cynthia Jordens will host an exhibition tour, together with Katarina Zdjelar delving deeper into her installations on show at Garage Rotterdam.

This performance is free to attend with an exhibition ticket (€2,00 at our door)