MAKING SPACE FOR CHANGE: IN CONVERSATION WITH REIN WOLFS

words by AÏCHA PILMEYER

REIN WOLFS has always been on the move across cities, cultures and institutions. After studying in Amsterdam, he spent a decade in Switzerland, six years in Rotterdam and 12 years in Germany. The STEDELIJK MUSEUM AMSTERDAM, however, never left his mind. “When I was a student here,” he tells me, “I already knew: one day, that’s where I’d like to end up.”

Now, as director of the Stedelijk, Wolfs is shaping the city’s leading modern and contemporary art institution into a space where art is in constant dialogue with society. He believes museums can no longer be ivory towers. With new approaches to accessibility, the Stedelijk is rethinking how people connect with the museum. Wolfs is navigating what it means to lead a museum in a city as direct and diverse as Amsterdam, where openness, experimentation and even criticism are part of staying relevant. It’s in this dialogue between the institution and the people of the city that its real influence begins.

AÏCHA PILMEYER

What brought you to the Stedelijk, and why did you want to become its director?

REIN WOLFS

I grew up with the Stedelijk Museum. It was the museum that my parents and I visited together at least once a year. There was always a sense of tension in the museum, as if something was about to happen; something different from what you’d find in other museums. And I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.

I experienced a lot at the Stedelijk, and I always had the feeling that one day I’d like to contribute something myself. It was a dream museum for me.

AP

What is your mission for the museum?

RW

It’s an important museum, a large institution with international appeal. It keeps a close eye on contemporary shifts, while continuing to preserve a historical collection. You try to continue with what the museum is, while also broadening the perspectives. I’m interested in seeing how the museum can become more global and how we can develop diversity within the museum and its collection. We had, and still have, a very Western collection, and we’re changing that.

AP

Why is that change important to you?

RW

We have a responsibility to look beyond our borders. We live in an international world — especially in a global city like Amsterdam — and I don’t see why a museum would limit itself to exhibiting only works from Western Europe and North America. That feels too narrow. Through media, we carry the whole world with us every day, and I believe a museum should engage with that reality.

The Stedelijk has always been Amsterdam’s most internationally oriented museum. While the RIJKSMUSEUM and the VAN GOGH MUSEUM focus on Dutch art and history, the Stedelijk has embraced a global perspective, especially since the Second World War. We need to keep expanding that.

AP

What does the Stedelijk Museum represent today, and who do you see as its audience?

RW

The Stedelijk has long been artist-driven: approaching exhibitions and programmes from the artist’s voice and perspective. But today, that’s not enough. We also need to consider who is visiting the museum while paying close attention to what’s happening in society. Bringing these perspectives together helps us shape new directions in a more inclusive and meaningful way.

It also means we need to recognise how our audience is changing. It is younger, more culturally diverse and often already familiar with what a museum is. At the same time, we are trying to reach people who are often not familiar with these spaces yet. We want to show them what a museum can be, and that starts with becoming more accessible.

AP

What do you mean by accessible?

RW

Being accessible doesn’t mean making things easier. It means opening up what we do to a broader audience. That begins with our content, focusing on what is relevant and necessary today. From there, we examine how we communicate through language, curation and education. We want the museum to be a mirror of society, and that is not easy. It takes time, resources and a clear sense of purpose.

The Stedelijk is also a semi-public space. With our improved entrance area, people can spend time in the museum without buying a ticket. They can sit at the reading table and café or visit the sculpture garden and still feel part of the museum community. That matters. We no longer aspire to be an ivory tower, a place only reserved for the few. Museums are different today. We want to lower the threshold without making entry feel too casual. It should feel welcoming yet meaningful.

AP

How do you approach accessibility through programming?

RW

Sometimes it means introducing different formats into the museum. Buro Stedelijk is an in-house platform for emerging artists and designers that operates independently, with its own curator and approach. Within the museum, they have a dedicated space that is continuously reimagined for each manifestation, where the artists can also work. It’s a unique concept in a museum context. They call everything a manifestation, whether it is a lecture, a reading group or an exhibition. I think that’s a beautiful way to open up the museum in a more democratic and layered way.

They’re meant to be a kind of thorn in our side, pushing us to reflect and showing that some things can be done differently in a museum. They are quicker than we are, and I’m a bit jealous of that. They use various methods, relying less on loans and more often working with artists to produce new works. As a museum, we can learn from that.

AP

Do you see museums as slow institutions, and how can this be challenged today?

RW

Museums place a lot of emphasis on collection care and preservation, which, of course, is essential. However, with many people and many layers, you sometimes lose speed. That’s why we introduced faster formats, such as Post/No/Bills and IN SITU, which are placed in areas of the museum that people naturally move through. These spaces invite a different kind of interaction from traditional white cubes. It feels more physical and direct; you become part of the experience. It speaks to your emotions and intuition.

Today, this is often referred to as immersive art. While I’m not a fan of the term, it is a positive and important movement. It makes art feel more natural. You’re no longer walking through a gallery with your hands behind your back, quietly overthinking the works. You experience it more immediately by being inside it.

People are wired differently today, and we need to respond to that. Museums have a role to take on: we need to be influencers. We must aim to shape how people see and feel art, help them connect with it, and become part of a broader community.

AP

Today, influence is often associated with social media and personalities, but I like your idea of giving that role back to museums and artists. The Stedelijk has historically been a cultural influencer, launching the careers of many important artists. How do you keep that spirit alive now?

RW

It has become more challenging, and the museum landscape has changed significantly. There’s more competition, especially economically, to attract large visitor numbers. At the same time, there’s a growing demand for cultural diversity and broader representation. 

With formats such as Post/No/Bills, IN SITU and Buro Stedelijk, we continue to exhibit and acquire works by emerging artists who are connected to our time. I think it’s still crucial for artists to enter the museum at some point, to make that leap into the institutional art world and speak to that audience. We are committed to showing a wide range of perspectives, and we want to stay open to diverse voices, times and approaches.

AP

What does the city of Amsterdam give to Stedelijk?

RW

Amsterdam is a fantastic city; diverse, international and rich in perspectives. People are direct, and that creates a discursive environment we can work with as a museum. It keeps things lively. The city serves as a stage where many different people, including institutions like ours, can express themselves. That also shapes our relationship with the local art world. It’s emotional and sometimes critical, and that’s a good thing. If there were no criticism, it would mean we are not relevant.

AP

What do you want people to feel when they leave the museum?

RW

I hope they feel different, surprised, maybe even a bit confused. That means they saw something unexpected. I hope it sparks curiosity, so they look at the world in a different way each time.

AP

Does art still have that effect on you?

RW

It does. Even in my role, I still encounter works that fill me with wonder. You try to understand them, but art doesn’t always follow logic, and that’s the point. It does not always respond to rational thinking. Sometimes it’s better when something remains a mystery.

Art must keep that sense of enigma. It is one of the few places in this world where not everything has been deciphered, and that is a good thing. This is partly because art does not rely on language in the traditional sense. Ideas are not spelt out in black and white, allowing for multiple interpretations. That openness is the true freedom of art, and it is essential to continue viewing it in this way.