Katoenhuis

Katoenhuis Katoenhuis Rotterdam: The hub for immersive technology, new media art, and contemporary culture, situated at the vibrant heart of the Keile Cultural District.

Congratulations to the next generation of artists, designers, and makers graduating from Willem de Kooning Academy this ...
28/07/2026

Congratulations to the next generation of artists, designers, and makers graduating from Willem de Kooning Academy this year!

It was a joy to see Katoenhuis filled with so much creative energy and to host so many inspiring, critical, and innovative graduation projects. On top of that, Fashion Show 010 turned the big hall of Katoenhuis into a catwalk showcasing incredible variety of designs!

📸 Boudewijn Bollmann

‘De wedergeboorte van het Katoenhuis’(The Rebirth of Katoenhuis) article on Platform Wederopbouw Rotterdam Just three ye...
22/07/2026

‘De wedergeboorte van het Katoenhuis’(The Rebirth of Katoenhuis) article on Platform Wederopbouw Rotterdam

Just three years ago, very little was known about the building at Keilestraat 9c. In the area’s cultural-historical survey, it was described simply as a reinforced concrete warehouse with traditional brick infill.

While studying the original construction drawings, the founders of Concrete Culture came across the family name “Van Bennekum.” The name and the mystery surrounding the building sparked their curiosity and became the starting point of the research. After calling every “Van Bennekum” listed in the phone book, they pretty quickly reached Jan Dirk van Bennekum, the last director-owner of Van Bennekum’s Port Authority.

What followed was an extraordinary story that led, among other things, to the publication on the building’s history and to the preservation and stewardship of the Van Bennekum Collection by Concrete Culture: a remarkable archive of photographs, artifacts and other materials, spanning nearly a century of the city’s, the port’s, and one family’s intertwined histories.

We are incredibly grateful to Inge Hagenbeek for her beautiful article, edited by Paul Groenendijk, for Platform Wederopbouw Rotterdam.

Read the full article (in Dutch) and download historical research publication developed by Concrete Culture through the link in bio.

📸

1. Cotton sampling for quality control at Katoenhuis. Around 1960s. Credit: Collectie van Bennekum
2. Cotton bales stacked up to the ceiling at Katoenhuis. Ground floor. Around 1960. Credit: Collectie van Bennekum
3. Katoenhuis in operation, 1954. Credit: Collectie Van Bennekum
4. View from the Keilehaven with unloading of cotton bales in full swing. Around 1970s. Credit: Collectie van Bennekum
5. A ship parked in front of Katoenhuis. The cay being used for moving the cotton to the warehouse. End of 60s, beginning of 70s. Credit: Collectie van Bennekum
6. Loading the products to the first floor of Katoenhuis. Around 70s. Credit: Collectie van Bennekum
7. Testing cotton in the lab on the first floor of Katoenhuis. Around 1960s. Credit: Collectie van Bennekum

Open call: Public Art on the Katoenhuis Terrace 🪴The Keile District is becoming one of Rotterdam’s most vibrant creative...
21/07/2026

Open call: Public Art on the Katoenhuis Terrace 🪴

The Keile District is becoming one of Rotterdam’s most vibrant creative neighborhoods, a place where former industrial spaces have been transformed into studios, workshops, cultural venues, and places for experimentation. This creativity spills out onto the streets, the buildings, and the public spaces.

This year, we’re inviting artists, designers, illustrators, and makers to paint, illustrate or in any other way transform the surface of four large outdoor planters on the Katoenhuis terrace into a permanent outdoor artwork. The planter should remain fully functional, while its exterior becomes a permanent public artwork. The selected work will become part of the public space surrounding Katoenhuis for one year, welcoming visitors, festival audiences, artists, students, and partners from across the creative and technology sectors.

Do you have an idea for the painting, illustration or any other artistic idea for the surface of these planters? Let us know!

What we’re offering

* Production budget: up to €400 for materials
* Your work will remain installed on the Katoenhuis terrace for approximately one year/ or until we call for a new challange
* Credit across Katoenhuis communication channels, including social media and documentation of the finished work
* Visibility within one of Rotterdam’s leading spaces for immersive art, technology, and experimentation

Please note: this open call is for artistic interventions on the planters themselves (their exterior surfaces), not for sculptures or installations placed inside or on top of them.

Please send a sketch, mock-up, or visualisation of your proposal to [email protected] until August 15th.

More info through the link in bio!

Looking back at , a one–day festival organized by students from TU Delft and Willem de Kooning Academy 🔮 
For one aftern...
14/07/2026

Looking back at , a one–day festival organized by students from TU Delft and Willem de Kooning Academy 🔮

For one afternoon, Katoenhuis was filled with installations, conversations, music, and curious visitors exploring the works developed over the past three years by Emergence. From quantum phenomena and synthetic biology to the hidden systems that quietly shape our everyday lives, each project offered a different way of looking at the world.

It was great to meet so many people, hear the stories behind the works, and celebrate this talented new generation of artists and designers together.

Thanks to everyone who joined us, we loved having you at Katoenhuis!

📸 Boudewijn Bollmann

This summer, Katoenhuis became home to Immersive Tech Week!This year’s edition of Immersive Tech Week (ITW) brought hund...
13/07/2026

This summer, Katoenhuis became home to Immersive Tech Week!

This year’s edition of Immersive Tech Week (ITW) brought hundreds of professionals, innovators, artists, researchers, and companies from around the world to Katoenhuis.

Over three days, international visitors gathered to exchange knowledge, showcase innovations, and discuss the future of immersive technologies. The programme highlighted how immersive experiences, including virtual and augmented reality, are increasingly being applied across sectors – from VR-based workforce training and remote inspections in the Port of Rotterdam to digital twins that support urban planning and city development. Visitors also explored the Church of VR, featuring seventeen immersive works, and discovered new ideas around the next generation of immersive innovation.

We are proud to have welcomed Immersive Tech Week to Katoenhuis. Hosting an international event of this scale connects our local community with partners from around the world. It contributes not only to the economic development of the area, but also to building a vibrant, collaborative innovation community in M4H.

Thank you Immersive Tech Week and everyone who shared those few inspiring days with us! ✨

📸 Taufan Adia Putra

New Rotterdam terrace - open this weekend! ☀️⛱️ By the water, sunny all afternoon, with beautiful sunset views, great fo...
07/07/2026

New Rotterdam terrace - open this weekend! ☀️⛱️
 
By the water, sunny all afternoon, with beautiful sunset views, great food, and Willem de Kooning Academy graduation expo to explore between your meal or drinks! Make sure to put Katoenhuis on your sunny-weekend-list🧃🍕
 
Thursday, 9 July: 12:00–22:00 (expo & terrace) 
Friday, 10 July: 10:00–20:00 (expo) | Terrace until 22:00
Saturday, 11 July: 10:00–20:00 (expo) | Terrace until 22:00

📸 Boudewijn Bollmann, Mar Gimeno Lumbiarres

Willem de Kooning Academy Graduation Show at Katoenhuis! July 9 – 11 ✨It’s that time of year again when we get to celebr...
01/07/2026

Willem de Kooning Academy Graduation Show at Katoenhuis! July 9 – 11 ✨

It’s that time of year again when we get to celebrate the creativity, dedication, and hard work of a new generation of artists. For the second year in a row, we are proud to welcome students of Willem de Kooning Academie and Piet Zwart Institute and host their graduation show!👩‍🎓

At Katoenhuis you can see:

🌀Advertising & Beyond, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Transformation Design and Animation & Audiovisual Design (installation-based work) 
Advertising & Beyond - WdKA,

Opening hours:
9 July: 12:00–22:00
10 – 11 July: 12:00–20:00

🌀Master Design

Opening hours:
9 July: 12:00–22:00
10 – 11 July: 12:00–20:00

🌀Fashion Show 010
9 July: 15:00 & 19:00

The tickets for the Fashion Show in bio!

Photos: Moments from WDKA Graduation Show and Fashion Show 2025 at Katoenhuis. Credit: Mar Gimeno Lumbiarres

 already this Friday!From 16:00 you can explore multiple installations, presentations, music, have some food on our love...
16/06/2026

already this Friday!

From 16:00 you can explore multiple installations, presentations, music, have some food on our lovely terrace and a chat with the group of talented young artists and researchers!

The installations created by the Emergence team over the past three years explore multiple scientific topics: from quantum art and synthetic cell research to the hidden systems that quietly shape our world.

Don’t miss the chance to see all the works in one place and spend a day with us at Katoenhuis!🔮

Immersive Tech Week at Katoenhuis, June 23 – 25 found new home at Katoenhuis and in less than three weeks it will turn K...
08/06/2026

Immersive Tech Week at Katoenhuis, June 23 – 25

found new home at Katoenhuis and in less than three weeks it will turn Katoenhuis into a meeting point for immersive technology, digital culture and experimentation. 

Highlights include the Church of VR showcasing groundbreaking immersive works, the XR Expo featuring the latest innovations in immersive technology, keynote talks and panels with leading voices from the field, live demos, networking sessions, and matchmaking opportunities.

More information and tickets in bio! 👀

Yesterday, students from  joined us for a day at Katoenhuis!Together, we rolled up our sleeves to help prepare Rotterdam...
05/06/2026

Yesterday, students from joined us for a day at Katoenhuis!

Together, we rolled up our sleeves to help prepare Rotterdam’s immersive hub for the upcoming . Beyond getting the space ready, the day was about getting to know each other, exchanging ideas, and strengthening the connections between Katoenhuis, TU Delft, and the regional innovation ecosystem.

A big thank you to everyone who joined and contributed their energy and enthusiasm!

See you soon at Emergence Festival! June 19 at Katoenhuis!

Get your ticket through the link in bio ✨

Adres

Keilestraat
Rotterdam
3029BP

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