Van Abbemuseum's 'Collectie als kosmos' Challenges Fixed Notions of Time and Space

The Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven has opened a new collection presentation titled 'Collectie als kosmos' (Collection as Cosmos), curated by Yolande Zola Zoli van der Heide. The exhibition challenges the ancient Greek view of the cosmos as a harmonious order, instead emphasizing the fluidity of time, space, and structuring systems. Visitors are confronted with their own position within the exhibition. In the first gallery, mirrors place viewers among the artworks. Robert Morris's gray H-shaped elements (1931-2018) encourage bodily awareness, while Haegue Yang's 'Sonic Celestial Rope' (2022) connects the museum to the outside world by sounding when the sun reaches its zenith in Eindhoven. The final section, 'Kosmische tijden' (Cosmic Times), clusters artworks for comparison, including a swinging light bulb that illuminates humanity's attempts to influence cosmic rhythms. The presentation runs from 2026.