Bridge keeper’s houses are special little places. Back in the days, they were used to operate the bridges. Nowadays, a lot of them no longer serve that function. They are monuments from the past, witnesses throughout time and true masters of adaptation. Through the Stichting Brugwachtershuisjes (Foundation Bridge Keeper’s Houses), the houses on the Koninginnebrug in Rotterdam receive a new life. From a greenhouse to an ice cream salon to a clothing repair shop, and now an exhibition space.
On Sunday 11 October, Roderick van Hasselt, Maaike van Liempt and I opened our 3-month exhibition 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 in the Brugwachtershuisje on Koninginnebrug.
I have been working in a double role on this exhibition: as coordinator between the Foundation and the artists and as exhibiting artist.
Watching the Currents reimagines the Brugwachtershuisje as a place for artistic encounter and public reflection. Through photography, painting and other visual media, the exhibition explores water, bridges and the bridge keeper’s house, inviting visitors to consider the past, present and future of living with water — both literally and metaphorically.
The exhibition is divided into three parts.
In the first instalment – 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 – from 11 October until 7 November, I explore through art collages and abstract art what it means to remain present while the world transforms. I am an artist-researcher with a PhD degree in climate-related art and in my work I connect art, science and ecology.
The second instalment, Behind the Scenes by Roderick van Hasselt, opens on 8 November and draws attention to what is present but easily overlooked. Roderick has been photographing since he was 16. Working across digital and analogue photography, he transforms images into screenprints, illustrations and photographic or digital prints. As a maritime pilot and member of Mesh Print Club, his work is rooted in Rotterdam and its infrastructure.
In the final exhibition instalment, The Slipstream, opening on 8 December, Maaike van Liempt follows multiple streams of meaning through a time of profound change. Maaike is a Dutch visual artist from New Zealand. Her practice explores natural and cultural polarities through landscapes and letterforms. Working between seeing and sensing, she creates spaces where language and perception shift.
🏠Opening hours:
Between 11 October to 7 November & as of 6 December: 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 & 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝟭𝟮-𝟭𝟲:𝟬𝟬
Between 8 November and 5 December: 20 & 21 November and 3 & 4 December 12-16:00
📍Bridge Keeper´s House North-East, Koninginnebrug, Rotterdam
🆓𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
Poster design by Maaike van Liempt 📝
This activity is part of the ‘Rotterdamse Waterparels’ project by Stichting Brugwachtershuisjes (www.brugwachtershuisjes.nl). The initiative has been made possible by Stichting Brugwachtershuisje, the Municipality of Rotterdam and Tante Nino.
Coverage in the Noordereiland Krant: “Watching the Currents – Staying with Change.” Noordereiland.org Rotterdam, 22 October 2026, https://noordereiland.org/2026/watching-the-currents-staying-with-change/. Accessed 23 October 2026.
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