Over the weekend, I went to visit Rotterdam’s newly opened FENIX Museum of Migration — and what a location. As a photographer I’m always drawn to contrast, rhythm, and emotion in buildings.
Architecture in Motion
At the center of the museum, a stunning spiral staircase — a gleaming metal and wood sculpture that curves like a ribbon along the space — serves as the central feature. The staircase, designed by MAD Architects partner Ma Yansong, does not terminate in the building’s confines. It extends outside, curving up to create a fantastic rooftop observation point over the Rotterdam cityscape and the Maas River. This movement up and out speaks to the central theme of the museum: migration as a constant journey.
The dance of light and reflections, deflected from the shiny steel and spilling in through the glass canopy, forms a continuously changing visual spectacle. The building seems to come alive.
The Soul of an Old Factory
What distinguishes FENIX from any other place is a tension — or, more accurately, harmony — of new versus old. The industrial heritage of the building persists to a great extent: exposed concrete beams, industrial-style columns, broad open display halls. Instead of covering up its history, FENIX celebrates it, inviting in locals to hear it tell its tale while hosting strong new art and intensely personal stories of migration.
Art as a Universal Language
The “All Directions” exhibit unites international works of art — photographs, sculpture, artifacts — each a new narrative of movement and displacement. Galleries containing human-centric photography and multimedia works that tell of common struggles, desires, as well as identity. I was drawn to the interconnection of light, architecture, and human presence. With every step in the museum, there was a new frame, a new composition, a new mood.
Why You Need to Visit
FENIX isn’t a museum you just visit for the art — it’s a place you feel. Where it is a place to go for architecture aficionados, and those interested in people’s stories.
📷 Here are some of my photos from the FENIX Museum
Photos by Nick De Clercq Photography – please seek permission to use.