Peyman Fazeli, Steef Offerhaus, and Tessa Biemans have been selected as City Sketchers of 2026. Every year, artists—the City Sketchers—are commissioned by the Rotterdam City Archives, the Kunsthal, and CBK Rotterdam to capture current events in the city in drawings. The theme Night in Motion invites the artists to explore and depict the nocturnal domain.
The City Artists of 2026 collectively depict a night that is ambiguous. They contrast silence and energy, architecture and intimacy, labor and desire. What unites them is a clear intrinsic motivation and a recognizable signature style. The jury is convinced that their work will not only document Rotterdam at night but also open new perspectives on a part of the city that is often experienced but rarely consciously considered. The night proves to be not a shadow of the day, but a fully-fledged part of the city.
Image: Peyman Fazeli, Untitled (sketch), A4, White charcoal on black paper. Drawing from observation.
Peyman Fazeli
Peyman Fazeli works with white charcoal on black paper. This choice is not an effect, but a way of seeing. In his work, darkness carries the weight of the city, and light becomes a means of directing attention. What becomes visible is often what goes unnoticed during the day. The jury was struck by the substantive sharpness of his proposal. Fazeli investigates how infrastructure, inclusivity, and urban memory manifest themselves at night. His nocturnal walks and photographic field notes form a solid foundation for a concentrated series of drawings. His work is tranquil and precise. Bridges, facades, and empty spaces become bearers of meaning. Where others seek the night in movement and encounter, Fazeli shows how it is also a space of attention and memory.
Image: Tessa Biemans
Tessa Biemans
Tessa Biemans places people at the center. In her watercolors and pastel drawings, she explores how people move at night and the emotions they unleash. The jury was enthusiastic about her poetic and dreamy visual language, which is simultaneously clearly rooted in the city. The combination of watercolor and chalk gave her work a unique quality previously unseen in urban artistry. Movement, color, and atmosphere converge in intimate scenes. The night appears as a space for release and longing, but also for loneliness and disappointment. While Fazeli draws the city in lines of light, Biemans reveals what happens between people when darkness offers protection and freedom.
Image: Steef Offerhaus
Steef Offerhaus
Steef Offerhaus approaches the night as an ecosystem. He aims to follow the diverse groups that keep the city running while others sleep: nightlife enthusiasts, taxi drivers, dockworkers, shift workers, the homeless, and subcultures that manifest in the dark. The jury appreciated his intrinsic engagement and his direct connection to nightlife. His proposal is ambitious and energetic. The visual language is distinct and sometimes explicit. He shows parts of the night that often remain hidden, consciously venturing outside his comfort zone. It was precisely this daring that was considered valuable. Where Fazeli is quiet and Biemans softens, Offerhaus brings energy and rawness. Together they demonstrate that the night is not a one-dimensional sphere, but a complex network of people, systems, and experiences.
On display at the Kunsthal this autumn
The work of the City Sketchers 2026 will be on display at Kunsthal Rotterdam from this autumn. It will then be included in the collection of the Rotterdam City Archives.
Image above: Tessa Biemans