Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
Time: 19.30 to 21.30 PM
Location: KINO Rotterdam Cinema, Gouvernestraat 129-133
Language: Dutch and English
Admission: free
Due to the capacity of the room please register via EventbritePlease note: once the performance begins, access to the hall will no longer be possible, so please arrive on time.

Sculpture International Rotterdam and BKOR organize the 33e edition of Z-Files, art and the city following the recent unveiling of the memorial A Minute of Shelter (2025) by Narges Mohammadi. This artwork on the Coolsingel draws attention to women and girls who are, have been, or will soon find themselves in unsafe situations. The sculpture was commissioned by the Municipality of Rotterdam in collaboration with Sculpture International Rotterdam, following the tragic murder of sixteen-year-old Rotterdam schoolgirl Humeyra in 2018.

This edition of Z-Files, art and the city takes the unveiling of A Minute of Shelter as a starting point for a deeper conversation against the backdrop of the current debate about the safety and visibility of women in both personal and public spaces. Drawing on artistic and social practices and feminist art and architectural theory, we will discuss the significance of visual art in this context. How can visual art in public spaces contribute to understanding the position of women in the city? How can personal experiences and social structures be made visible?

Programme
The evening will be led by a writer, storyteller and programme maker Shantie SinghAs a creative public administrator for the Municipality of Rotterdam, she is committed to combating violence against women and was closely involved in the development of A Minute of Shelter.

Then the journalist goes Wilke Martens in conversation with artist Narges Mohammadi about the background and production process of A Minute of Shelter.

Political philosopher and researcher Catherine Koekoek focuses in her work on the practical and spatial conditions for democracy and social justice. In her lecture she examines, based on A Minute of Shelter how art can be an expression of resistance and also make room for invisible stories.

Elke Krasny, professor of Art and Education at the Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien, focuses in her work on care ethicsHow do care, feminist, and queer-feminist perspectives make social and ecological inequalities visible? In her lecture, she will explore how women (can) take up space in the city through visual art.

We conclude the program with a conversation between Narges Mohammadi, Shantie Singh, Catherine Koekoek, and Elke Krasny, moderated by Amira Gad, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and co-curator of Sonsbeek 2026. After the program, there will be an opportunity to chat in the Kino bar.

About Z-Files, art and the city
Z-Files, art and the city is a program by BKOR and SIR that addresses art and public space, and all the dilemmas inherent in this discipline, through lectures, presentations, films, and excursions. The program aims to highlight Rotterdam's unique collection of artworks and facilitate discussion of current developments.

Elke Krasny's participation was made possible thanks to the International Visitors Programme of the New Institute, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.