About MaMA

MaMA is a platform for visual culture and young talent – a gateway for young makers at the cutting edge of contemporary art and popular culture. MAMA makes exhibitions, books, and magazines, organises performances and events, presents and represents young artists at home and abroad, and is part of an international network. MAMA provides a platform for the expressions of new subcultures and countercultures.

The programme is rooted in youth and popular culture and takes place in areas where broader cultural developments – social, technological, economic – become visible within contemporary art practice. MAMA closely follows the developments of a young generation of

artists, striving to achieve this through invitation, support, and development.

Mission 

MaMA is a creative hub where a bridge is built between the youngest generation of creators and the cultural field. MaMA positions itself as a bridging institution between old and new worlds in the broadest sense of the term; between generations, between disciplines, between online and offline worlds. MaMA plays a pivotal role in Rotterdam’s cultural ecosystem, which has been its home since its founding in 1997. From this home base, MaMA is active nationally and connected internationally. MaMA’s approach is characterized by five pillars: generosity, courage, entrepreneurship, empowerment, and collaboration.

Above all, MAMA is a community. MAMA works together with a large and diverse group of emerging professionals: Team MAMA. They provide feedback, solicited and unsolicited, on our content and the direction of the programme and the organisation. Many have become staff members or participated in our exhibitions and projects. Our supporters – both organisation and audience – are actively engaged, ambitious, and articulate.

dsc00627-hilde-speet-lrDarryl Grootfam - “opening night”

Through our five pillars, MaMA is the place in the cultural sector for inclusivity and diversity, interconnectivity, and innovation in Rotterdam and beyond.

  • Equality:

MaMA aims for tailor-made support for individual needs to create a fair environment because every quality, talent, and trait is valuable, regardless of differences in starting positions.

  • Collective knowledge sharing:

MaMA shares knowledge about the cultural sector with its audience and learns from them by continuously questioning processes. MaMa consistently promotes collaborative learning, both within and outside the cultural sector.

  • Encouraging courage:

MaMA encourages the younger generations to voice their opinions, experiment, take on new challenges, and promotes self-examination and reflection. Courage leads to innovative thinking and action; it breaks traditional structures and creates space for new, fresh perspectives.

  • Autonomy and ownership:

MaMA motivates not only young creators and its audience but also encourages the public to actively participate and make their voices heard. Autonomy promotes a sense of ownership, not only over personal motivation but also in a broader societal sense.

  • Entrepreneurship:

For MaMA, entrepreneurship equals versatility; from financial and administrative knowledge to building a valuable sustainable network. However, ultimately, entrepreneurship for MaMA means more than the conventional definition; it is primarily proactively promoting the personal growth and career development of young creators. And this, too, requires tailor-made support.

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