This autumn at Wereldmuseum Rotterdam: The World is Yours!

All over the world, hip hop plays a significant role in claiming the city and creating meaningful places. These places increase the quality of life of local communities - in Rotterdam, for instance. Whether it’s stories, activities like block parties, graffiti tags or chillings, each contribution adds a new layer of meaning to the environment. The Rotterdam hotspots pop up in video and photography installations. And they vary from Bospolderplein to former music venue Nighttown.

As an art form, hip hop has always been a means for oppressed and underrepresented groups to voice their resistance against the way they were portrayed and stereotyped. The exhibition addresses the ideals of the communities striving to create places where they feel a sense of belonging. And the way hip hop gives – and has always given – people the tools to show resilience and resistance to issues of exclusion and gentrification. This goes to show how hip hop as a way of life has brought Rotterdam communities together. And how they change the city’s image, from the bottom up. Sharing knowledge within the communities is a recurring theme. And so, it is present in The World is Yours!

In addition to the presentations created by Brand New Guys, Clan de Banlieue, Concrete Blossom, and Notes, the exhibition will feature an installation focusing on ten locations that are or used to be relevant to the Rotterdam hip hop scene. Ten people involved from this scene each point out their favourite spot. From Surinamese community centre Wi Masanga and music label Rotterdam Airlines to nightclubs and clothes shops like Streetz USA and Woei. Inspired by the often-nostalgic images and stories, photographer Ouxu Cheng and illustrator Erico Smit captured these places in ten personal portraits.


The world is yours! - Hip hop shapes the city
From 23 september 2022, Wereldmuseum Rotterdam 

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note to the editors, not for publication:
If you have any questions, please contact Coromandel Brombacher or Rachel Voorbij, press officers with NMVW and Wereldmuseum, at pers@wereldculturen.nl