Rijksakademie, History, Contact

For over 150 years, the Rijksakademie has been invested in artistic development and forward-thinking art.

Departing from the vision that artists play an essential role in an open and innovative society, we create the conditions for artists to thrive, and to keep reimagining the transformative power of art.

In our residency programme we house an artist community that is highly international, multi-disciplinary, experimental and critically engaged. Up to 50 artists are open to challenging themselves, and to working alongside positions that are vastly different from their own. Spending up to two years in residence, they enter into an open-ended process where they can deepen their practices, and explore new territories, in and beyond the art field.

Residents benefit from an array of opportunities for exchange, including peer to peer dialogue and visits from a wide range of leading art professionals. They have access to technical workshops, and guidance by technical specialists, who foster hands-on, innovative and collaborative approaches to making, as well as an extensive library and a historical collection.

Each year our Open Studios enables the artists to share their work with wider audiences in ambitious and imaginative ways. The public can also connect with the creative life of the Rijksakademie through our programme of lectures, performances and screenings that explore contemporary artistic practices and debates.

Rijksakademie alumni are active in diverse artistic and social contexts and their work can be found in art biennials, exhibitions and collections, through artist platforms or grassroots initiatives around the world.