Collectivity & Solidarity

A museum open to change. That's what we aspire to be as the Van Abbemuseum, and we can only accomplish this if we work together. With our colleagues, our visitors, and our allies. Together we look beyond the museum's horizon and hopefully create a fairer and more just world. Solidarity through collectivity.

Are collectivity and solidarity also demodern? Simply put, collectivity ranks the plural above the singular. In this sense, collectivity is indeed a counterpoint to the modernist paradigm. In that framework, the male, heteronormative, white perspective is central, exactly what the Van Abbemuseum is trying to challenge.

Educational programme

In the annual school program Radically Mine!, schoolchildren from Eindhoven and the surrounding areas are inspired by a socially relevant theme and the Van Abbemuseum's collection. In 2023, the theme was 'solidarity.' All participants create their own artwork, a selection of which is displayed in the Radically Mine! exhibition. "In addition to the theory students learn in the classroom, in the museum they discover how they can use art to shape the world," explains Glenda Pattipeilohy, education and public mediation officer and organiser of Radically Mine!.

Positions #7: Everything worthwhile is done with other people

The seventh edition of the exhibition series Positions focuses on art created through collaboration. From 13 May to 24 September 2023, international and local artists' groups engage with each other at the Van Abbemuseum. Everything worthwhile is done with other people is derived from a quote by American activist Mariame Kaba: "You are interconnected to everyone, because the world doesn’t work without everyone. We can’t do anything alone that’s worth it. Everything worthwhile is done with other people."

Our society is continuously confronted: after the coronavirus pandemic, we still live in a world facing climate crises, social injustice, and international wars. We are increasingly dependent on each other: global problems call for new collaborations. The need for collectivity is growing.

Delinking and Relinking

The Van Abbemuseum is working towards becoming a 'constituent museum': a place that embodies solidarity with all communities and where connection is central. The multi-sensory collection presentation Delinking and Relinking is an example of a 'constituent' project. The exhibition was created in collaboration with (experiential) experts and (interest) groups in the field of physical accessibility, inclusion and decolonisation. This resulted in the development of, among other things, tactile objects and scent cards that help visitors experience art in different ways.

Rewinding Internationalism

An exhibition about developments, ideas, and stories from the 1990s. And about how they carry over into today's world. The end of the Cold War, the AIDS pandemic, and increasing globalisation caused huge changes, including in the art world. What happened to the questions and experiences of that era? This exhibition shows many examples of collectivity. In the 1990s, it proved to be a powerful antidote to the neoliberalism so prevalent at the time.