Live the Surreal

Works by dozens of artists will be on view, including Julio Gálan, Tetsuya Ishida, Roberta Stoddart, Renée Stout, Yves Tanguy, Co Westerik and 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.

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 Trinidadian 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.