Kunstinstituut Melly

Kunstinstituut Melly was originally conceived as an art-house with a mission to present and discuss the ideas and work created today by visual artists and cultural makers. To fulfill the core mission of presenting contemporary art and theory, they organize exhibitions, commission art, publish and develop educational and collaborative initiatives. In doing so, they apply a practice of collective learning. This means they spatialize and socialize different forms of knowledge. Public engagement is intrinsic to our creative processes and artistic outcomes.

The institute believes that experiencing art and theory this way is vital to enjoy their present and learn with and about culture. They have especially worked with artists and engaged audiences who pose challenging inquiries and articulations of our present. They are interested in catalyzing thought and have been known for inspiring public debates. And while Kunstinstituut Melly’s program considers the contemporary, it also regards how art has been created and experienced in the past, and it imagines the many futures art can come to shape. Here, art is a motion; learning is porous.

Since the foundation in 1990 and for three decades, the institution was named Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art and commonly called “Witte de With.” In 2021, they officially changed the institution’s name to Kunstinstituut Melly.
For more information about Kunstinstituut Melly and its history, please visit their mission page.