The exhibition that tells the story of the modern garden and how it will become

Netherlands national museum for architecture, design and digital culture in Rotterdam, the Nieuwe Instituut, will present the exhibition “Garden Futures”, developed in collaboration with the Wüstenrot Foundation for Culture and Heritage and the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, where it was shown for the first time in 2023 and designed by the Italian studio Formafantasma. 

In line with the Nieuwe Instituut's focus on contemporary societal concerns, Garden Futures investigates our evolving relationship with gardens, which are here intended not only as personal, idyllic refuges but also as landscapes of experimentation where biodiversity, social justice and sustainability can be put into practice through new ideas and models. By showcasing gardens as a means of individual expression alongside historical examples shaped by political and commercial interests, the exhibition aims to reflect the diversity and complexity embedded in these ecological systems, with specific attention to future possibilities.

Garden Futures features gardens by designers and artists Roberto Burle Marx, Jamaica Kincaid, Mien Ruys, Piet Oudolf and Derek Jarman, including examples of conservatories, vertical forests, community and floating gardens, rooftop greenhouses and urban farms amongst many others. This Dutch edition, co-curated by Maria Heinrich and spatial designer Frank Bruggeman, will also comprise garden and landscape designers Michael van Gessel and Henk Gerritsen, as well as a critical take on Rotterdam’s historical gardens and current nature-inclusive design, such as the garden suburb of Vreewijk, the Brienenoord Island, Wijktuin Ommoord, the Hofbogenpark and The New Garden.