Slow Museum Saturdays #5 | Full Circle
Details
Welcome back, dear mindful museum lovers, to another Slow Museum Saturday! Join me this time to the humble Chabot Museum. I hope you may accompany us to venture into this collection of wonderful and expressive celebration of life.
While doing the usual pre-event research, I found myself having spent an unusually long amount of time appreciating Fire of Rotterdam. Henk Chabot. What was he thinking when he created such a work of art? Was he afraid? Did it hurt? Was he safe? So many questions. How does this wild expressionism bring out so much in me!
I found the room itself to be quite wonderfully composed. So much so that it gave me a new perspective on how to organize the next event. It's a piece of history, this corner. And it is quite evocative. I hope we can mindfully appreciate all of it together this Saturday!
As a sad note, I must announce that this would be the final edition of the meetup in The Netherlands. Due to life circumstances, I am moving to Berlin and taking the meetup with me. Maybe some of you might come and join at an event there. Life never ceases to be a wonderful mystery.
### 🌍 Location:
Chabot Museum, Museumpark, Rotterdam.
Short walk from Eendrachtsplein, Chabot Museum is in Museumpark, in central Rotterdam and is easy to reach on foot, by bike, or by car, with a big parking garage directly opposite the museum. You can easily reach it on foot or by bike via the Museumpark/Westersingel area, where there are bike racks nearby. By car, the most convenient option is the large paid Parkeergarage Museumpark directly opposite the museum; for cheaper parking, you can use outer P+R car parks and continue by metro to Eendrachtsplein. You might also walk directly from Central Station.
### 📅 Agenda
- 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Meet & Introduction
- 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Slow Looking Session
- 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Group discussion
- 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Socialize
There is not much space inside so let’s meet right in front of the gate before heading in.
### 🎨 Selected Art-points
This time, during our excursion, I would like to switch things up a bit. Instead of pointing our attention towards the pieces themselves, I would suggest the groups be at certain points in the museum and take in whatever they fancy. This is partially to accommodate participants who like to look around. But on top of that, I feel that the museums do a great job juxtaposing pieces and creating a composition that warrants appreciation. So the following are the pieces in front of which we will find these points:
Fire of Rotterdam
A chaotic, swirling witness to the city's darkest hour—does this canvas scream in fear, or silence us with the sheer weight of history?
https://chabotmuseum.nl/brand-van-rotterdam-1940-en-zomer-vrede1945/
Eight portraits
A series of intimate faces that bridge cultures and histories—what unspoken dialogue passes between these subjects and us, the viewers?
https://chabotmuseum.nl/nour-eddine-jarram/
The Man, the Trees, the Light
Figures that seem to dissolve into their surroundings—where does the person end and the atmosphere begin?
https://chabotmuseum.nl/hannah-van-bart-the-man-the-trees-the-light/
Hotelbel
A scene that feels both familiar and slightly unsettling—is this a moment of arrival, departure, or an eternal wait?
https://chabotmuseum.nl/lotte-van-lieshout-hotelbel/
When I Was You
A shadowy exploration of identity and transformation—when you look closely, do you see a stranger, or a distorted reflection of yourself?
https://chabotmuseum.nl/elly-strik-when-i-was-you/
### 📢 Stay Connected
- Follow us on Instagram for updates and reflections.
- Join our WhatsApp Group for the latest news and discussions.
### ⚠️ Additional Information:
- This is a structured experience and differs from a typical museum visit.
- Kindly ensure you’ve purchased your museum ticket in advance for the 2:00 PM start time.
- The event is designed for smaller groups due to limited space in front of some pieces.
- Feel free to take personal notes and share observations during our group discussions.