Expo

Melkweg Expo’s main goal is to nurture and promote emerging talent and present them to a broad audience – from admirers of art, photography addicts, art students and self-taught artists, to the casual passers-by of the venue’s central location and music lovers surfacing from the crowd of a Melkweg concert. Melkweg Expo is open later than most exhibition spaces to make spontaneous encounters and confrontations with art possible.

With the help of local and international allies, Melkweg Expo presents a unique and largely free programme made up of at least six exhibitions annually, a multidisciplinary festival, educational events, portfolio reviews, enlightening talks, screenings, numerous easy-going gatherings and fabulous opening events.

Your visit
Free entrance
Open: Tuesday - Sunday, 11:00 - 23:00

Entrance via MILK, Marnixstraat 409
More info: expo@melkweg.nl

25 May - 30 June 2024 
Alastair McKimm, Emma Bowkett, Dana Lixenberg, D. Waife

The Palm Photo Prize is a photography competition organised by Palm * Studios in London and is coming down to the Netherlands. In collaboration with Melkweg Expo for the latest edition of this leading competition. The competition serves as a springboard for emerging and established talents around the world and aims to support and exhibit the most promising newcomers to the photography world. In this edition, 107 exceptional photographers were selected for the Palm* Photo Prize Shortlist, an honour awarded by a panel of leading industry experts. This panel included Alastair McKimm, former editor-in-chief of i-D, Emma Bowkett, curator and director of photography at FT Weekend Magazine, photographer Dana Lixenberg, and D. Wiafe, artist and course leader at the London College of Communication (UAL).

The Audience Award was determined by the audience attending the Galaxy Expo, as well as by online voting through the official Palm* website. In addition, INK Studio will support one lucky entrant with the realisation of a personal or editorial project of their choice.

9 March - 28 April 2024
Tiana Japp, Irina Naji, Maha Eljak, Dina El Zeneiny, Rah Naqvi, Nella Ngingo
 

In honour of International Women's Day, Melkweg and Bar Bario join forces for the exhibition ‘Siblings of the Soil’. The climate crisis is anything but apolitical; rather, it is the result of political decisions taken mainly by the West, at the expense of the Global South. With events in areas such as Gaza, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, and their impact on our planet, it is increasingly crucial to put the experiences and voices of women of colour, who are often ignored, at the centre of discussions on climate justice. The artists offer honest perspectives on the themes of patriarchy, ecofeminism and capitalism: from the representation of femininity in Burundi by model and photographer Nella Ngingo, to that in Palestine. These are highly topical subjects and perspectives translated into various art forms, including painting, photography and even beadwork.

8 March 2024
Ampfeminine, Bario Radio, Viva la Vulva
Music: Sennes, Ayisha Thomas, Suzooki Swift, DJ Nata Babaju, DJ Willa
Spoken Word: Alejandra Ortiz, Ghazaleh, Julia-Beth Harris
 

On 8 March 2024, the Galaxy Expo will become the mouthpiece for the forgotten voices in the conversation about ecofeminism with the event ‘Siblings of the Soil’. The climate crisis is anything but apolitical; rather, it is the result of political decisions made primarily by the West, at the expense of the Global South. With events in areas like Gaza, Congo and Sudan, and their impact on our planet, it is increasingly crucial to put the experiences and voices of women of colour, who are often ignored, at the centre of discussions on climate justice. After all, it is they who are often the hardest hit. ‘Siblings of the Soil’ puts these women from the Global South at the centre. The event includes an exhibition and an evening of art, music and conversation aimed at highlighting ecofeminism.

Guest curator: Christian van der Kooy
Artists: Lesha Berezovskiy, Igor Chekachkov, Marynka Dovhanych, Nazar Furyk, Open Group, Evgeniya Laptii, Viacheslav Poliakov, Julie Poly, Daria Svertilova, Marta Syrko, Mila Teshaieva, Dima Tolkachov, Valerii Veduta and Kris Voitkiv
Friday 19 January - Sunday 25 February 2024
 

Forever and a Day features projects made in Ukraine over the past two years, in which it becomes palpable how difficult it is to get a grip on the here and now. Plans and dreams have been postponed. Of the 14, mostly young participating artists, most chose to stay in Ukraine during the ongoing war. Several works depict the loss of future prospects, and anticipate the fact that a Ukrainian does not know when the war will end. The desire for a dot on the horizon, for a future without occupiers, is part of a desire for meaningful reconstruction. After all, war is not just about destruction, maiming and homelessness; it is above all the loss of the fundamental sense of security and, as a result, confidence in one's own ability to read and influence situations.

Anna Theunissen, Chris Becher, David Holscher, Iñigo Viu Huguet, Lin Woldendorp, Martijn Kuyvenhoven & Saskia Vervoort 
16 December - 31 December 2023 (external location)
 

FOLLOW is a personal coaching programme for budding artists. This year, we looked for ambitious plans for local and socially engaged projects located in different parts of the city of Amsterdam. For this special, extended-themed edition, seven image-makers were each given a working budget and commissioned to create a new series that reflects on the Amsterdam district where they live, work, grew up, or are connected to in some special way.

Magnus Monfeldt & Jonas Ohlsson 
2 December - 31 December 2023
 

The exhibition Gathering Moss by Magnus Monfeldt (Avesta, 1973) and Jonas Ohlsson (Örebro, 1967) explores the various facets of fatherhood from the perspective of two artists with Swedish roots. Both the joys and hopes, as well as the trials and fears that are inextricably linked to this are discussed. The central component of the exhibition is the recently completed and never-before-seen 30-minute film installation, in which both their children and themselves are the protagonists. There are also drawings, collages and sculptural elements on display throughout the space, as well as an earlier video work by the duo from 2018.

DO 07 SEPT 17:00 CINEMA MAX MILK OZ UPSTAIRS BAR 

Een Kuper, Astrid Ardagh, Chelsea van der Bend, Christiaan Schwarz, Clim Stoopen, Donau Liya, Danya Steiger, Elle van Baaren, Faria van Creij-Callender, Jeanne Gironde, Ignacy Radtke, Kiriko Mechanicus, Koenraad Wiering, Lucas Huikeshoven, Mikelis Murnieks, Mila Narjollet, Myra-Ida van der Veen, Nelly Dansen, Paloma Jet Plantenga, Renée Schrader, Senne Roeper, Taco Hengst, Tekkons, Vera-Linde Jelsma.

Melkweg invites you to kick off the new season together at Arty Party! During this multidisciplinary festival, the entire Melkweg will be dedicated to art in all its forms. Every room, corridor and corner of the building will be used to immerse yourself in the future of the Dutch art world. For this fifth edition of this full-evening art festival, the Milky Way Expo team and several scouts from the art field set out to scout freshly graduated talent from art and music academies from all over the country. A small reflection of this will be on show this evening. Visitors will thus be introduced to the art of the future in a non-traditional way. In this way, we unite young art professionals, recent graduates and self-taught artists, visitors and music lovers.

Our Arty Party scouts - art professionals from the photography and contemporary art world - have selected each of these photographers from the pool of talented graduates from across the Netherlands: Aaryan Sinha (KABK) , Flora Madu (KABK) , Heleen Kosse (Rietveld Academie) , MAryam Touzani (KABK), Rowan Moonlion (KABK), Sascha Hoebergen (KABK), Sylvia van der Reijken (HKU) and Vincent Zanni (WDKA).

The musicians who will be present are: Klankspoor, Yaro Mila, Groove God, Jaïr Darnoud, Keely Westwood and Skinc.

Curated by Tina Farifteh
8 March - 14 May 2023

With International Women's Day approaching, the Milky Way asked photographer and filmmaker Tina Farifteh to give the most relevant feminist movement of recent times a place in the Milky Way Expo. Farifteh curated works by women artists from Iran and the Iranian diaspora. The struggle for equal rights is never over; women's and human rights are not absolute and every generation is responsible for maintaining them. Farifteh hopes that this exhibition can contribute to that, that Qoqnoos can be an inspiration for all women to find their own form of resistance and to keep the fire burning always.

Daniel Jack Lyons
Curated by Claire Hoogakker
June 10 - August 6 2023

American photographer Daniel Jack Lyons is determined to visualize the social and political rights of underrepresented communities. With Like a River, he creates a vulnerable and powerful image of trans and queer communities in the Amazon. He explores concepts such as identity, transformation and coming-of-age stories of marginalized communities in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest.

Curated by Tina Farifteh
March 8 – May 14, 2023

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Melkweg Expo invited photographer and filmmaker Tina Farifteh to curate an exhibition on the biggest feminist movement of our times. 'Qoqnoos' presents video art works, photography, installations and multimedia works by multiple Iranian female artists. The battle for equal rights is never finished; women’s and human rights are not absolute and each generation is responsible for upholding them anew. With the exhibition, Farifteh hopes Qoqnoos’s eternal flames and persistent power inspires all women to find their own form of resistance.

Robin Alysha Clemens
January 21 - February 26, 2023

'Performing Adulthood' is a project by Robin Alysha Clemens that gives a glimpse into the world of Generation Z. The exhibition asks us to think about the self-image of young people, for whom the presence of cameras is natural. Performing Adulthood shows the sometimes uncomfortable moments that shape our perceptions of adulthood, representation and identity. It's about looking and being seen, about hiding and revealing. About presenting yourself, and how that sometimes fails.

Anouk Kruithof
October 22, 2022  - January 8, 2023

The dance-conclave Universal Tongue leads us through the jungle of the internet. The work explores how dance has developed throughout history as part of our global media culture, and how it nowadays manifests online. The rousing installation is based on 32 hours of video presenting thousands of different dance styles, collected from YouTube and Instagram, and selected by a team of 50 researchers from all over the world.

 "Dance — the moving body — more than anything in our diverse and complex world unites us in the recognition of our shared fragility and our common human condition. It also points us towards a possibility of a more inclusive world with limitless exchange and understanding of new identities, a world where simply everyone is a dancer."
— Anouk Kruithof

The ongoing loop of moving image erases typical categories of the world order, such as country, continent or culture. Instead, it looks at our era of fluidity, hybridity, and non-stop connectedness, respecting the value of our historical backgrounds, cultural differences, and individuality.

Iris Haverkamp Begemann & Alejandra Ortiz
Curated by Claire Hoogakker
July 15 - 21 August, 2022

Guided by these words spoken by Mexican author and trans woman Alejandra Ortiz, Dutch cisgender documentary photographer Iris Haverkamp Begemann went on a holiday to the country Alejandra fled from—Mexico. After forming a unique friendship based on mutual trust and understanding, their connection sparked this communal multimedia project in 2021. Led by Alejandra’s instructions and hand-printed maps drawn from memory, Iris travelled to Mexico to visit meaningful locations from Alejandra’s childhood. The map guides Iris to places where Alejandra felt both loved and cared for, but also extremely unsafe, marginalised and rejected by her own family. Shown alongside Alejandra’s personal messages and childhood stories, Iris’s photo series presents a visual diary capturing Alejandra’s memories of a birthplace she had to leave behind, and to which she cannot return.

Curated by Colette Olof
June 3 - July 10, 2022

The group exhibition 'The Ways of Water', on display at Melkweg Expo from June 3 to July 10, 2022, explores the relationship between humans and water through photography and art installations: humankind's dependence, but also his subordination to water. . Numerous (inter)national and multimedia artists investigate the influence of man-made climate change, pollution and water depletion on our planet: Suzette Bousema, Jana Romanova, Koos Buster, Mazen Al Ashkar, Frank Bloem, Tina Farifteh, The Water School (initiated by studio Makkink & Bey) and Elise 't Hart.

Marjolein Busstra
April 15 - May 22, 2022

For the multimedia project We Don’t Talk, Marjolein Busstra (NL, 1979) followed the lives of young people entangled in complex networks of sexual violence and/or exploitation. The project is made up of a photography series—on show in Melkweg Expo from 15 April to 22 May 2022—and an accompanying documentary. While the documentary film is about overcoming negative self-image and the judgement faced from society, the exhibition focuses on the persisting memories of these experiences, and the process of redefining them. 

Curated by Colette Olof & Jasper Griepink
March 5 - April 10, 2022

All Flourishing is Mutual is a quest for the mutual interdependence between humans and nature. The exhibition, inspired by the work of the scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer, presents work by a number of (inter)national artists: Mirte van den Bos (NL), Layla Durrani (US), Sarah Fokke (NL), Jasper Griepink (NL), Queer Nature (US), Liza Prins (US), Sissel Marie Tonn (DK) and Ella Yolande (UK). In all artworks, the relationship between humans and the natural world is explored and celebrated in their own unique way. In this exhibition, the artworks show different aspects of and reflections on the encounter between humans, animals and nature.

Curated by Stein van der Ziel
January 15 - February 27, 2022 

Virtual Virality, Online Intimacy & Digital Detox is an exhibition at Melkweg Expo curated by Stein van der Ziel (1994, NL), resulting from his chosen entry for our 'Open Call for Curators'. The participating artists are Ali Eslami (IRN) and Mamali Shafahi (IRN), Diana Gheorghiu (ROU), Marge Monko (EST), Jun Ortega Sanchez (ESP), Ralph Pritchard (ENG) and Valentino Russo (ITA). Virtual Virality, Online Intimacy & Digital Detox is on view from 15 January to 27 February 2022, as both an online presentation and a physical exhibition.

7 September - 8 October 2023
 

The Galaxy Expo team and several scouts from the art field set out to scout freshly graduated talent from art and music colleges across the country. A small reflection of this was on display at the ‘Arty Party: Photography Graduates 2023’ group exhibition with accompanying festival ARTY PARTY. During this multidisciplinary festival, the entire Milky Way was dedicated to art in all its forms. Every room, corridor and corner of the building was used to immerse yourself in the future of the Dutch art world.