Rotterdam's Witte de With Center Renamed Kunstinstituut Melly After Decolonial Reckoning

The Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, Netherlands, has been renamed Kunstinstituut Melly following a three-year institutional transformation prompted by a 2017 open letter from artists and activists. The center, founded in 1990, was named after Witte de With, a 17th-century Dutch naval officer involved in colonial expansion, which activists argued contradicted the institution's values of openness and inclusivity. Director Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy, who took office in 2018, led the renaming process. The new name derives from Ken Lum's 1990 artwork "Melly Shum Hates Her Job," installed on the building's facade since its opening. The work depicts a tired worker, symbolizing universal labor struggles. The change aims to address decolonial critiques and promote public engagement and collective learning.