Brutus

Brutus is a cross between a maze and a time machine, a bomb shelter and a launch pad, a laboratory and an industrial ruin, a cabinet of curiosities and a think tank. Featuring a grand total of 6,000 square metres of exhibition space, it is also one of the largest contemporary art institutions in the Netherlands. A global revolution of the imagination is being prepared in the former port warehouses in the M4H area in west Rotterdam. Artists will lead this revolution. At Brutus they are given complete freedom to create their dreams and visions – no matter how strange or even insane. Brutus enables exhibits other museums don’t because they’re too big, too unwieldy, too noisy, too daring or too difficult. At Brutus there are minimal restrictions to ensure maximum, unimpeded creativity. This results in outsized installations, theatre performances, film screenings and exuberant parties. The themes explored at Brutus touch everyone’s lives – from climate change to migration, from social security to power perversion. Visitors are invited to wander through the complex, participate and voice opinions. Here, the distinctions between art connoisseur and layman, self-taught artist and established artist, forklift driver and professor are erased. The motto ‘everyone is an insider’ applies. Brutus was founded in 2008 by artist Joep van Lieshout and was then called AVL Mundo. In 2023, the organization split into two independent foundations: Brutus Space and Brutus Base. Brutus Space is dedicated to other artists’ projects and activities. Brutus Base presents all the projects and activities related to the work of Atelier Van Lieshout.