Live the Surreal

Works by dozens of artists will be on view, including Santiago Rodríguez Olazábal, Roberta Stoddart, Juul Kraijer, Wifredo Lam, Renée Stout, Yves Tanguy, Arie van Geest, Xul Solar en Santiago Yahuarcani. Works from the museum’s own collection are presented alongside international loans, masterpieces from institutions including Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, and contemporary works by Rotterdam-based artists. 

Bringing together Surrealist art from countries such as Mexico, Australia, Trinidad and Indonesia, the exhibition demonstrates that the dream of a better world is a universal force.

The exhibition design itself also challenges visitors to see differently. In a playful and rebellious gesture, it breaks through the conventional boundaries of the museum space. In the final gallery, walls, ceiling and floor appear to disappear entirely, opening up new perspectives.

A key work in the exhibition is Sleepwalkers (2009–2017) by Jamaican artist Roberta Stoddart, recently acquired by Wereldmuseum for its collection. The painting is an important addition to the museum’s holdings and serves as one of the exhibition’s central works. 

Much like the shifting perspecttves throughout Leef Surrealisme, Sleepwalkers unsettles an apparently harmonious group portrait, revealing hidden tensions and underlying power structures. Through its dreamlike imagery and psychological complexity, the work embodies the exhibition’s broader exploration of Surrealism as a means of questioning reality and imagining alternative worlds.

The exhibition will run from 18 September 2026 to 29 August 2027. Further details will follow shortly.

Santiago Rodríguez Olazábal, Peter Birkhäuser, Xul Solar, Dalia Al Kury, Édouard Duval-Carrié, Tessa Mars, Pascale Monnin, Tetsuya Ishida, Edin Velez, Eko Nugroho, Heri Dono, Juul Kraijer, Trevor Nickolls, Piet Ouborg, Mimi Parent, Otto Egberts, Roberta Stoddart, Marie Louise Elshout, Olphaert den Otter, Charly van Rest, Co Westerik, Hans Arp, Wout van Heusden, I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih, Breyten Breytenbach, Julio Galán, Arie van Geest, Twins Seven Seven, Silvia B., Renée Stout, Carl G. Jung, Yves Tanguy, Gérard Quenum, Wim de Haan, Ewoud van Rijn, José Bedia, Wifredo Lam, Eneida Sanches, Santiago Yahuarcani, Maya Deren, Austin Osman Spare, Tja Ling Hu, Sandra Vásquez de la Horra and Winfred Dania.