With Ecosystem, DAR presents a bold new photography exhibition in Rotterdam’s iconic Maastunnel. The exhibition features twelve artists exploring their creative environments and interconnectedness. Revealing how their practice is shaped by the places they inhabit, the people they move with, and the histories they carry. The Maastunnel becomes more than a passageway; it transforms into a living archive. Ecosystem invites you to reflect on a simple yet profound question: What’s your ecosystem like?
The artists in Ecosystem work internationally, yet their ecosystems are deeply rooted in Rotterdam. The city plays a crucial role in their practices, as a site of migration, encounter, resistance, and imagination. Alongside the photographic works displayed in the tunnel, the artists engaged in in-depth conversations reflecting on their personal and creative ecosystems.
Under the shared belief that it takes a village to raise an artist, the exhibition foregrounds the often unseen influences behind creative work: places, moments, rituals, and relationships. These elements form the invisible infrastructure of artistic practice, and Ecosystem brings them into focus.
The twelve artists featured in Ecosystem are: Ameneh Solati, Bouba Doula, Elly Vineyard, Marga Weimans, Meryem Slimani, Pris Roos, Sandim Mendes, Serana Angelista, Sharon Jane D, Tarona, Tim Wes and Yuro Moniz. The work of these 12 artists spans photography, film, fashion, textiles, music, design, and ceramics. Exploring themes such as identity, migration, joy, spirituality, and visual culture, inviting us to look and value differently.
Photographers Sharon Jane D and Tarona documented their peers and both joined with self-portraits reflecting on the forces that influence their work.
Ecosystem extends beyond the physical exhibition space. DAR continues the conversation digitally @theartistecosystem
