Rotterdam is a city in motion. A city where freedom is not a given, but a shared responsibility. How do we make room for each other? How do Rotterdammers experience freedom – or the lack thereof – in their daily lives? And how can we shape the city in such a way that freedom is not just a privilege, but a right for everyone?
In 2025, city illustrators will be all about freedom. The year in which we commemorate 80 years of liberation and celebrate Women's Year calls for reflection: what does freedom mean today? The call for the City Illustrators of 2025 focused on the imagination of these questions. From 34 applications, the jury selected three illustrators who each investigate the theme of freedom in Rotterdam in their own unique way.
Quality, layering and contrast
This year's entries were strong in their substantive approach and artistic quality. What stood out was the breadth of perspectives: from the freedom of the individual to the freedom of the collective, from bodily autonomy or the freedom to unite to administrative decision-making. Activism, feminism and themes around oppression were conspicuously present. Many entries approached freedom primarily as an opportunity and possibility and also as something you seek from limitations. The diversity in styles and techniques was great. There was a lot of abstract and autonomous work, sometimes complex and layered, and at the same time a strong presence of illustrators.
We also saw different approaches in the elaborations: some entries were activating or documentary, others narrative or poetic.
The jury has selected three makers who complement and challenge each other, and who will each explore the theme from a distinct vision and style.
Minne Ponsen – Freedom as a reclaimed space
Minne investigates the relationship between the body and public space. She draws places in Rotterdam where she felt unsafe and combines them with body fragments – abstract and recognizable at the same time. In this way, she makes the tension between the body and the city palpable. “Freedom is always a reflection of what is malnourished in our society,” Minne writes in her motivation. Freedom is not only a space without fear, but also a place where caring is seen as a strength. Her proposal to ultimately physically sew the drawings together – so that they stand as a body facing the viewer – adds an extra layer to her research.
Christine Saalfeld – Freedom as a shared responsibility
Christine approaches freedom as something collective. She investigates how democratic participation and joint decision-making in Rotterdam contribute to an inclusive city. Her work focuses on places where people exert influence on their environment: from neighborhood councils to collective studio buildings. She bases her work partly on the analysis of historian Annelien de Dijn: “Freedom was originally seen as the ability of citizens to determine the course of their society together.” At a time when trust in institutions is under pressure, Christine offers a sharp and necessary perspective.
Amber Rahantoknam – Freedom as Expression and Identity
Where Minne focuses on the physical space and Christine on the administrative space, Amber explores freedom as an inner experience. In her work, she celebrates the diversity of Rotterdam and the multiformity of identity. Her comic-like, poetic drawings show how Rotterdammers find their freedom in big and small moments. “Freedom to me means the space to be yourself, without fear or limitation,” writes Amber. She wants to portray different communities, from skaters to night workers, and does so with a distinct, powerful style.
The City Artists of 2025 together form a triptych in which freedom is examined at different levels. What unites them is the conviction that freedom is not a
is self-evident. It is something that must be claimed, fought for and shared again and again. The jury is convinced that the results of 2025 will not only be a documentation of the city, but also a call for reflection and change.
Rotterdam is a city that is constantly in motion—and these three artists will capture that, each in their own way. Their work will show us how freedom is expressed in the city: in public space, in meeting rooms, in the gestures of its residents. A city in which freedom is not a privilege, but a shared responsibility.
Rotterdam, April 2, 2025
On behalf of the jury City Artists 2025:
Pris Roos (artist), David Snels (Kunsthal), Erika Hokke (Rotterdam City Archives), Wanda Waanders (Rotterdam City Archives), Cindy Stegeman (Art Office, CBK Rotterdam) and Ove Lucas (CBK Rotterdam)