‘Portscapes’ exhibition

An exhibition with works by: Lara Almarcegui, Bik van der Pol, Jan Dibbets, Marjolijn Dijkman, Fucking Good Art, Ilana Halperin, Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller, Paulien Oltheten, Jorge Satorre, and Hans Schabus. Website collaborators Maria Barnas (poetry) and Markus Miessen (interviews). Co-curated with Theo Tegelaers (curator, SKOR) and exhibition design by Overtreders W.

The exhibition marked the culmination of Portscapes, a year-long series of commission presented throughout 2009 to coincide with the construction of Rotterdam's Maasvlakte 2 (MV2) – a 20% expansion of Europe's largest seaport and industrial area. Initiated by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, with advice and support from SKOR (Foundation for Art and Public Domain, Amsterdam), Portscapes commissioned, produced and presented ten new projects by Rotterdam-based and international artists.

To coincide with the exhibition's opening at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, two new films premiered: 'Facts on the Ground' (2009–10) by Rotterdam-based artists Bik van der Pol, and 'Surviving New Land' (2009–10) by Marjolijn Dijkman.

The exhibition was accompanied by a multi-part boxed publication comprising a miscellany of contributions by the artists, the prologue volume published in February 2009 to launch the series, a cahier featuring texts on each project, and a DVD of behind-the-scenes footage, including interviews with the artists. A limited-edition version (in a white box) also included a DVD with Jan Dibbets' film 6 Hours Tide Object with Correction of Perspective (2009), the inaugural commission of Portscapes.