FENIX: Art Museum about Migration in Rotterdam
Photography, art and stories
FENIX: Art Museum about Migration
Introduction
FENIX in Rotterdam presents migration as a collection of personal stories about leaving, arriving and starting again. In the historic San Francisco warehouse on Katendrecht, port history, architecture and international art come together. Through highlights such as the Tornado, the Suitcase Labyrinth and The Family of Migrants, the museum makes tangible how journeys, memories and borders shape people’s lives.
A museum about movement
The central theme of FENIX is migration: people crossing borders, seas, cultures and generations. The museum approaches this subject not from a distance, but through personal stories of farewell, hope, identity, homesickness and starting over.
The location: Katendrecht and the port
The location of FENIX is significant. Katendrecht lies on the Rijnhaven, close to the former departure points of the Holland-America Line. From these quays, many Europeans left for North America, while Rotterdam also became an arrival city for people from other parts of the world. The port was therefore not only an economic hub, but also a place of farewell, expectation and new life stories.
The San Francisco warehouse
FENIX is housed in a monumental warehouse dating from 1923. Its high spaces, robust structure and industrial scale still recall storage, transshipment and shipping. Precisely because of that, the building has gained a new meaning: where goods were once moved, stories of people on the move now take centre stage.
Creation and funding
The creation of FENIX is closely connected with Stichting Droom en Daad, a Rotterdam-based philanthropic foundation that invests in art, culture and urban renewal. The foundation took the initiative to give the historic Fenix warehouse on Katendrecht a new life as a museum about migration.
The transformation was designed by MAD Architects, with Ma Yansong as the best-known face of the firm. Bureau Polderman contributed to the restoration of the historic warehouse. The result is a combination of preservation and renewal: the port warehouse remains recognisable, while the Tornado gives the building a contemporary and symbolic presence.
The Tornado: artwork and viewpoint
One of the most striking features of FENIX is the Tornado: a shiny, double-spiralled staircase leading to a panoramic deck. The staircase is at once a route, a sculpture and a viewpoint. Its movement fits the museum’s theme: being on the move, changing direction and discovering new perspectives.
Exhibitions and stories
FENIX combines international art with personal stories. In exhibitions such as All Directions – Art that Moves You, artists show how migration touches on home, borders, happiness and identity. The Suitcase Labyrinth is also impressive, with thousands of suitcases recalling what people take with them when they leave: belongings, documents, language, family history and hope.
The Family of Migrants also plays an important role. This photography exhibition presents migration through images of departure, journey and arrival. Through photography, the broad subject of migration is given a human face: families, individuals and communities become visible in moments of change.In the book The Family of Migrants two hundred poignant photographs from past and present tell universal and timeless stories of people on the move. See my post Photography books (please click).
Key artworks and objects
- Kimsooja – Bottari Truck – Migrateurs (2007–2009): an old Peugeot 404 filled with colourful Korean bottari, symbolising being on the move, memories and farewell.
- Efrat Zehavi : The installation Where are we going to
- Fragment of the Berlin Wall: a historic object referring to borders, separation, freedom and the political dimension of migration.
- Red Grooms – city bus: a playful installation in which visitors can literally step inside and experience the theme of movement.
- Omar Imam – Space Refugee: a work in which flight, imagination and visions of the future come together.
- Hana El-Sagini – giant blue slippers: a striking sculptural work that enlarges everyday objects and connects them with movement and personal history.
- The Family of Migrants: a photography exhibition with nearly two hundred images about departure, journey and arrival.
- The Suitcase Labyrinth: an installation with thousands of suitcases evoking personal migration stories and memories.
- The Tornado by MAD Architects: the spectacular double staircase and viewing route that, as an architectural artwork, connects the museum with the city and the port.
Sources and further reading
Sources: FENIX, official website and visitor information; information about the Holland-America Line and the history of Katendrecht as referred to in the context of the museum visit. FENIX homepage (please click)
A very informative documentary about the transformation of a historic port warehouse in Rotterdam into an art museum about migration is available via NPO Start. Link: the road to FENIX (please click)
The photo’s that we made during our visit we believe give a good impression of this fantastic museum.
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