Looking at art from a car

The corona era has produced a number of interesting collaborations and initiatives, and the drive-through museum from Rotterdam Ahoy and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is a good example. The events location had an empty Hall 1 on its hands and the museum had a large part of its collection stored due to the current renovation work, so they joined forces, and this led to an exhibition in Rotterdam Ahoy that visitors can drive through by car, making the experience fully corona-proof.

Event hall into exhibtion space

Hall 1 of Rotterdam Ahoy has an impressive surface area of 10,000 m², equal to nearly one and a half football pitches and large enough to drive a car through at walking pace while looking at the works of art along the way. The hall is dimly lit, and the car headlights function as additional spotlights. The exhibition consists of the drive-through and a grandstand in the large hall, as well as external areas including a test track and catering with terrace. The exhibition is open to the public by means of reserved time slots every day between 10:00 and 21:00 up to and including 23 August.

Electric cars only

The exhibition is accessible for electric cars only. This can be the visitor’s own car or a hired vehicle, and Rotterdam car dealer Breeman has made electric BMWs and MINI Coopers available for hire. Before entering the museum, visitors must first perform a test drive on the external test track. Those without a car can buy a promenade ticket and view the works of art from the grandstand.

Drive-through experience

The video works, installations, paintings and sculptures in the drive-through museum are all large, so they are clearly visible from the cars. Visitors are not allowed to get out of their vehicles, although cars may be parked briefly in dedicated parking spaces. The exhibition can accommodate approximately 750 visitors each day and the duration of each visit is roughly 45 minutes. [caption id="attachment_40843" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Photo: Aad Hoogendoorn[/caption]

Existing work of art and new installations

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen selected about fifty works from their own collection, as well as several works they currently have on loan. There are works on display by Ted Noten, Oskar Kokoschka, Bas Jan Ader, Melanie Smith, Paul McCarthy, Bruce Nauman, Ugo Rondinone, Cyprien Gaillard, Joep van Lieshout, Wieki Somers and Jim Shaw, as well as installations by Bas Princen, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Anselm Kiefer, Olaf Nicolai and Marijke van Warmerdam. Frank Bruggeman and Bas van Beek were each invited to produce a new installation especially for the exhibition.

Nature and people

The theme of the exhibition is the tension between man and nature. The corona virus has shown us that something as infinitesimally small as a virus can massively impact humans; it demonstrates our vulnerability. One of the works on display is Bunkhouse by Paul McCarthy. The artist is perhaps best-known for Santa Claus – better known in Rotterdam as Gnome Buttplug – and often explores human behaviour by means of his socially-critical work.

Collaboration in the corona era

The idea of a drive-through museum came about during the corona period. Cultural life in the city was frozen and theatres and exhibition halls were empty. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen started looking for alternative ways to engage their audience in a new way. The corona-proof exhibition emerged thanks to a collaboration with Rotterdam Ahoy and many other committed parties and provides a welcome cultural experience, especially at a time when many citizens of Rotterdam are unable to go away on holiday.  For more information and tickets, visit: www.boijmans.nl/drivethru   Text : Renee Schouwenburg Header photograph: Aad Hoogendoorn