Friday night
On Friday nights the Van Gogh Museum is open until 10 pm and there’s always something special going on. Every Friday night, lounge chairs, video projections, live music, DJs and a bar transform the museum’s central hall into a relaxed place to meet.
Please note: the Friday night programme is subject to modifications.
18 May
Theme night: Isle of the dead
In-depth background
Guided tour: Dreams of nature
7 pm (English) / 8 pm (Dutch)
Discover the symbolism underlying major works from international artists in the exhibition Dreams of nature. Symbolism from Van Gogh to Kandinsky. The tour is free, but the number of participants is limited. Registration starts an hour before the tour at the information desk in the central hall.
Guided tour: Beauty in abundance
7 pm (Dutch) / 8 pm (English)
Free tour of the exhibition Beauty in abundance, with highlights from the Van Gogh Museum's print collection. Limited numbers: please register at the information desk in the central hall.
Hands-on activities
Painting workshop: D.I.Y. Island
Continuous from 6:30 pm in the workshop studio
Paint a diptych, with your version of the The Island of the Dead and any other island you wish. The workshop teachers from the museum will bring out the best in you, with a glass of absinthe to hand for inspiration.
Installations & performance
Theatre collective Powerboat presents: We are Islands
Continuous from 6:30 pm, in the left corridor of the exhibition wing
Make a brief journey to the after-life! Installation inspired by the book Life after God by Douglas Coupland about a generation brought up without religion. Share your experiences anonymously with another visitor afterwards.
www.powerboat-rotterdam.nl
Short film: WURLDStarts at 6.30 pm, 7.30 pm, 8.30 pm, auditorium |
Short film: Isle of the Dead, Redux
What has been the global impact of this work, to this day? Filmmakers Yafit Taranto and Ibrahim Attallihi take you on a intriguing search in this document full of references, ranging from videogames to Rachmaninov and King Kong.
Music
Symbolism is closely linked to music. So we invited seven bands to compose pieces inspired by a painting, following the example of the music tour at the Groningen Museum. On Friday evenings, you will hear the numbers live. The series closes this evening with Elfin Saddle and Rykarda Parasol.
Elfin Saddle
7 - 7.45 pm central hall (full band setting)
8 - 8.15 pm ground floor exhibition wing (acoustic set)
9 - 9.15 pm ground floor exhibition wing (acoustic set)
| After starting out as a duo – the artists Emi Honda and Jordan McKenzie from Montreal – this group added a double bass and cello to become a quartet. Elfin Saddle balances on the age of acoustic music with instruments they developed themselves, supplemented by the accordion, guitar, ukulele, banjo, xylophone and bells. They will perform their unique folk music in the central hall, but play some of their acoustic songs in the exhibition wing too, amongst others a song they composed especially for the painting Evening Poem by Alphonse Osbert. | |
Rykarda Parasol
8.30 - 9.15 pm in the central hall
| Her unique voice dominates, with its rough and compulsive edge. Rykarda Parasol also writes songs with a story based on her own life. With a strong strand of humour and self-mockery, she moves through her soulful work. She will perform her songs tonight, amongst which is a moving composition based on the painting The Island of the Dead by Arnold Böcklin, in an intimate almost acoustic setting. |
DJ Jacco Gardner
From 6:30 pm in the central hall
Not only does DJ Jacco Gardner play in the bands Lola Kite and The Skywalkers, but he is also a producer. Since a few months he is quite busy with his own baroque pop solo project in which he combines the sounds of harpsichord, strings, flutes and other classical instruments along with raw psychedelic effects. According to the theme of this Friday night he will play dreamy sounds, psychedelic ballads and mysterious songs of the last fifty years of pop history.
25 May
Guided tour: Dreams of nature
Free guided tour of the exhibition Dreams of nature. Symbolism from Van Gogh to Kandinsky. Participation is limited, please register at the information desk in the central hall.
Guided tour: Beauty in abundance
7 pm (Dutch) / 8 pm (English)
Free tour of the exhibition Beauty in abundance, with highlights from the Van Gogh Museum's print collection. Limited numbers: please register at the information desk in the central hall.
DJ Dirkson
From 6:30 pm in the central hall
DJ Dirkson leads you through a visual sound zone. With stylish B-film sounds and old-style electronics, he will enthral you on the Friday evening. An audio lover and radio presenter (NetEcht) with a passion for MOOG and refreshing chansons.
1 June
Guided tour: Dreams of nature
Discover the symbolism underlying major works from international artists in the exhibition Dreams of nature. Symbolism from Van Gogh to Kandinsky. The tour is free, but the number of participants is limited. Registration starts an hour before the tour at the information desk in the central hall.
Guided tour: Beauty in abundance
7 pm in Dutch / 8 pm in English
Free tour of the exhibition Beauty in abundance. Highlights from the print collection of the Van Gogh Museum. Limited numbers: register at the information desk in the central hall.
DJ x-0-x
From 6:30 pm in the central hall
With the paintings of Dreams of nature as inspiration x-0-x (Arjan van Sorge) composed a special DJ set, which adds another layer to this special exhibition on Symbolism from Van Gogh to Kandinsky. Naturally, the ambient music genre – entirely constructed from atmospheric sounds – can be heard, along with field recordings from various countries and times, plus folk songs that glorify the pristine landscape. In short: pure and unadulterated enjoyment of dreams and visions, in images and sound.
www.x-0-x.org
www.discolit.nl
8 June
Guided tour: Dreams of nature
7 pm in Dutch / 8 pm in English
Discover the symbolism underlying major works from international artists in the exhibition Dreams of nature. Symbolism from Van Gogh to Kandinsky. The tour is free, but the number of participants is limited. Registration starts an hour before the tour at the information desk in the central hall.
Guided tour: Beauty in abundance
7 pm in Dutch / 8 pm in English
Free tour of the exhibition Beauty in abundance. Highlights from the print collection of the Van Gogh Museum. Limited numbers: register at the information desk in the central hall.
DJ DaanModern
From 6:30 pm in the central hall
Savage girl sounds from the house DJ of Pacific Parc and De Toneelschuur. With steamy soul, exotics and hits from 50s, 60s and 70s. All from cool 7-inch vinyl. Rock ’n roll!
15 June
Guided tour: Dreams of nature
7 pm in Dutch / 8 pm in English
Discover the symbolism underlying major works from international artists in the exhibition Dreams of nature. Symbolism from Van Gogh to Kandinsky. The tour is free, but the number of participants is limited. Registration starts an hour before the tour at the information desk in the central hall.
Guided tour: Beauty in abundance
7 pm in Dutch / 8 pm in English
Free tour of the exhibition Beauty in abundance. Highlights from the print collection of the Van Gogh Museum. Limited numbers: register at the information desk in the central hall.
DJ x-0-x
From 6:30 pm uur in the central hall
As a club DJ, radio presenter, musician and performer, x-0-x (Arjan van Sorge) knows how to put down the right mood from the start. Instant sound tracks for special moments.