GROOT HANDELSGEBOUW
Groot Handelsgebouw (GHG), built in 1953, was conceived as a “city within a city”–a massive, self-contained complex with a mixed-use concept that was groundbreaking for its time, housing offices, retail, restaurants and even public spaces. The building was equipped with cutting-edge features, including a rooftop car park, central heating, elevators, and flexible office spaces that could adapt to the needs of businesses. The building aimed to bring together businesses and people from across Rotterdam into one collaborative space, in this new unfamiliar era of reconstruction and modernisation.
The Groot Handelsgebouw will host plenty of activities across the building including a solo show with new works of Laurids Gallée, a group show of rotterdam based designers curated by the biennale team, and partners venues such as DAR VItrines, ‘show not show’, Kunstfabriek, Multi where you can lunch amongst works and fundamental_eatery where you can dine in a design gallery.
Cairn, Solo show by laurids gallée
Laurids Gallée unveils a new series of sculptural lights in collaboration with The Collectional, set within the monumental Groot Handelsgebouw. Gallée takes this rare opportunity to present his work in Rotterdam, where he has established his practice but rarely exhibits. His oversized, luminous sculptures blur the line between function and statement, or perhaps function with statement. Their apparent lightness defies their massive scale, creating a sense of weightlessness and movement. Light dances within these solid forms as the viewer moves, plays with perception and reveals ever-changing compositions.The simplicity of the space enhances Gallée’s ability to transform natural, effortless forms into mesmerising, sculptural experiences.
Laurids Gallée (aT)
Open everyday during the Biennale 11:00-17:00 closed Monday 24 and Tuesday 25.
Location: Stationpleins 49
You can collect your wristbands at this location
this is us
Design in Rotterdam is not about grand statements but about making—direct, unembellished, and rooted in material intelligence. There is a physicality to the way things are done here, a momentum that resists excess and embraces precision. This is Us brings together different generations of designers whose work is defined by clarity of form and conviction of purpose.
A city’s identity is not shaped by a single vision but by the energy of those who build, challenge, and transform it. Their work is in constant dialogue with the city—shaped by industry, collective resilience, and an inherent understanding that design is, above all, something to be lived.
anna aagaard Jensen (DK)
Kasper Boelens (NL)
Lisa Brustolin (IT/NL)
Elsemarijn Bruys (NL)
Rollo Bryant (UK)
Jule Cats (NL)
Chan Chiao Chun (TW)
GIUlia Cosenza & Jonas Lutz (NL/IT/FI)
Forever Studio (NL)
Groovido (NL/IT)
Ishtar Hsu (TW)
Jonas Hejduk (FR)
Richard Hutten (NL)
Chris Kabel (NL)
Sunyo Mast (NL)
Johannes Langkamp (DE)
audrey Large & Théophile blandet(FR/NL)
atelier van lieshout (NL)
Barry Llewellyn (IR)
Studio Sabine Marcelis (NL)
Benjamin Motoc (fr)
ODD MATTER (NL)
Lex Pott (NL)
Sarah Roseman (CA)
RUSSO BETAK (DK/BZ)
Michael Schoner (DE)
Wieki Somers (NL)
Lenny Stöpp (NL)
Sebastiaan Straatsma (NL)
Supertoys Supertoys, in collaboration with Gufram (DE/NL)
The New Raw (GR)
Maria Tyakina (RU)
Elvis Wesley (NL)
Open everyday during the Biennale 11:00-17:00 closed Monday 24 and Tuesday 25.
Location: Conradstraat 32 (Bus Station side)
Show not show
SHOW NOT SHOW invites you into the world of makers—creators who not only reveal the final product but also guide you through their creative journey. It’s not just a showcase of outcomes but an exploration of the process, blending the tension between observing and experiencing in a compelling way.
This group exhibition, presented by The Best Kept Spoilers, features six designers: Lucas Zito, Pepijn Fabius Clovis, Aad Bos (Mokko), Studio Luuk van Laarhoven, Frank Penders, and Marc Meeuwissen (Dear Objects). It showcases a collection of functional and autonomous objects, offering a unique perspective on design.
Mokko (aad Bos) (NL)
Studio Fabius Clovis (NL)
Dear Objects (Marc Meeuwissen) (NL)
Studio Luuk van Laarhoven (NL)
Frank Penders (NL)
Lucas Zito (FR)
Open everyday during the Biennale 11:00-17:00 closed Monday 24 and Tuesday 25.
Location: Weena 687
‘The unfinished’ exposition at Fundamental.eatery
Fundamentl.Eatery combines gastronomy with collectable design and art that is unfinished, open, and ever-evolving, such as Het Groothandelsgebouw and its history.
We want to push food, design, and culture forward, igniting the sentiment of “The Unfinished”, an inseparable ‘fundamental’ of the design universe. Innovative designs and artworks do not emerge as finished products; they undergo trials, beautiful failures, and magical accidents that often remain unseen yet are intrinsically linked. Unfinished prototypes, concepts and materials form the backdrop of a completed design, bringing these unfinished wonders together within the dining experience of Fundamental Eatery.
Boris Peianov
Odd Matter
Anne Wenzel
Laurids Gallee
Kasper Boelens
Siiri Oksanen
Pim Top
Frank Penders
Marie Bernard
Daleen Bloemers
Pien Willems
Bastiaan Kalmeyer
Open on the evening Thursday, Friday and Saturday, special dinner programme for the Biennale. Check website and instagram. For bookings: please send a message to +31 6 29012601 or DM via instagram.
Location: Weena 701
a SEaT aT THE TaBLE at multi multi café
Multi presents A Seat at the Table, a captivating exhibition that fuses design and food. In the window display, a set table transforms into a contemporary still life, showcasing curated tableware and artist-made objects that celebrate the art of dining. On the mezzanine, a collection of chairs by nine Dutch designers explores the diversity of seating, with each piece offering a distinct interpretation of comfort, function, and form.
Kasper Boelens
Spijker
Jonas Lutz
Olivier
EXIT
Jord Lindelauf
Ritsert Mans
Built editions
Phil Procter
Lex Lemson
ZILT
Open Tuesday to Friday, 11:00 to 16:00, closed on Weekends and Monday.
Excellent lunch place. Dinner and Party on 28 February, check programme here.
Location: Weena 709
Joseph zeal henry at kunstfabriek
De Kunstfabriek presents Joseph Zeal-Henry | Film, Music & Design
Proximity Continuum is a modular film that transforms with each screening through live, improvisational scoring by DJs. The film explores unacknowledged histories through synchronized bodies, sonic culture, and Black visual expression. Co-directed by Malakhai Pearson and Joseph Zeal-Henry, it archives an ephemeral performance into "forever media." Premiering at ArtLab at Harvard University, the film continues its evolution at De Kunstfabriek, where a living room-inspired setting — designed in collaboration with Wintage — invites intimate engagement. Rotterdam-based DJ Phillintheblanks and Boston-based DJ Proswerve will each bring their distinct sonic interpretations to the film, presented at De Kunstfabriek’s gallery at Weena 699.
JOseph zeal henry
Location: Weena 699
DAR Vitrines
DAR supports the first Design Biennale Rotterdam, by bringing design, art, and architecture into everyday life. True to our vision – "go where the people are" – we curated five art installations in the Groothandelsgebouw’s monumental vitrines.
Featuring artists Cristal De La Cruz, Charlie Koolhaas, Said Belhadj, Yoko Negi, and Lua - this exhibition integrates creativity into a working space. More than an art show, it’s a fresh way to connect design, art, and architecture with daily life.
Cristal De La Cruz
Charlie Koolhaas
Said Belhadj
Yoko Negi
Lua
Open everyday during the Biennale 11:00-17:00 closed Monday 24 and Tuesday 25.
Location: Stationsplein 45, Entrance through Main Lobby
| Laurids Gallée Stationsplein 49,This is Us Conradstraat 32 3013 AK |
Fundamental eatery
Multi cafe
Kunstfabriek
Weena check number per venue