Opening of Rotterdam’s new art museum Fenix

A powerful day at the opening of Rotterdam’s new art museum of migration — Fenix.

Today, I had the honour of attending the official opening of this remarkable new art museum, with a deeply symbolic name: Fenix. The museum was inaugurated by Queen Máxima of the Netherlands herself, and seeing her up close was a unique and unforgettable experience for me.

I’m especially proud of Ukrainian artist Maria Kulikovska, whose work has been acquired by the museum. Last year, my gallery Block A presented her sculpture at Art The Hague, where it was purchased by a Dutch collector. Now, one of her works will be part of a public collection, exhibited alongside names like Rembrandt and William Kentridge – a beautiful moment of recognition.

Maria and I are currently working on several joint projects in both the Netherlands and Ukraine.

Another work by Ukrainian artist Daria Khozhai is also included in the museum’s collection. By chance, I happened to attend the presentation of that installation in an Amsterdam gallery three years ago. It was an artist-led tour, and I asked if I could quietly join. I witnessed the piece being purchased, and only today did I realise who the buyer was, when I saw it in the Fenix museum’s permanent exhibition.

On the first floor, a separate room holds a monumental installation of suitcases, each telling the story of its owner. I was moved to discover that one of those stories belongs to a Ukrainian woman I met today. So many unexpected connections surfaced — and now our stories, the stories of Ukrainians who fled war, have become part of the shared narrative of migration, part of the Fenix Museum.

The name says it all: Fenix – a symbol of rising again.

And I do believe – we will endure, we will rebuild, we will create a new, more beautiful, and more harmonious world.