For the thirtieth edition of Kunsthal Light, the artist Marilyn Sonneveld (Rotterdam, 1990) will be creating the work When the Sun Comes Up in the space behind the over twenty-five-meter-long display window along the ramp. With this site-specific work, which consists of coloured glass panels and glass sculptures, Sonneveld is highlighting the interaction between the progression of time and the constantly changing light in the iconic HALL 6. In doing so she is symbolically referring to her pregnancy, a transformative period that apart from joy, has also brought her anxiety and insecurity.

The human body, which she explores in her oil paintings and glass sculptures, is a great source of inspiration for Sonneveld. When the Sun Comes Up is her first work to focus on her own body. In anticipation of her upcoming role as a mother, Sonneveld is more acutely aware than ever of the influence time has on her body, and is also confronted with traumatic events from her past. She conveys these emotions in drawings and paintings that form the point of departure for When the Sun Comes Up. Sonneveld uses the nine glass panels she created to, layer by layer, interweave depictions of the body. As if painting with glass she is portraying the intensity of her pregnancy and the mental and physical changes she is undergoing.

Marilyn Sonneveld

Marilyn Sonneveld graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. After her graduation, she developed and co-founded ‘wipsite’, a website offering sex education in a factual, honest, and positive way. Over the past few years, Sonneveld has been developing a multidisciplinary artistic practice that includes installations, oil paintings, and glass sculptures. Sonneveld recently participated in the residency programme No Man's Art Pop-up Gallery in Mexico City, and exhibited her work at Unfair Amsterdam. Her work has also been shown in various international exhibitions and galleries, among other places in Lisbon and Madrid.

Kunsthal Light  

Kunsthal Light is the Kunsthal’s talent development programme. Since 2011, this exhibition programme has especially focused on young artists who are able to make a ‘broad gesture’ in an original and artistic way. To this end, three times a year the Kunsthal places HALL 6 (the over 25-meter-long display window along the ramp) at the disposal of an artist who is then given free rein to make a site-specific work. 

When The Sun Comes Up Marilyn Sonneveld, glass, 2023 photo Bas Czerwinski
One and one is two Marilyn Sonneveld, oil on canvas, 2023, photo Gert Jan de Rooij

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About your visit

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Frequently Asked Questions

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  • The Kunsthal is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs. The Kunsthal Café opens half an hour earlier, so you can visit from 9:30 hrs until half an hour after closing time. Check the current opening hours.

  • Yes, you need to book a ticket with a start time in advance. This also applies if you have a Museum card, Rotterdam pass, or VriendenLoterij VIP Card. This way, you are guaranteed admission and we can ensure that your visit is as pleasant as possible. Book your start time.

  • Yes, with an online ticket, you can visit all the exhibitions that are on display on the date of your visit. You can also stay as long as you like. You are welcome at the Kunsthal from your designated start time until closing time. Book your start time.

  • In de Kunsthal Rotterdam zijn altijd meerdere wisselende en contrastrijke tentoonstellingen tegelijk te zien. Een volledig overzicht van alle actuele tentoonstellingen vind je op de tentoonstellingspagina.

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