Natasja Kensmil

Collection as Cosmos

Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Netherlands
6 June 2026 – 2 May 2030
Collection presentation

In spring 2026, the Van Abbemuseum will mark its 90th anniversary with a groundbreaking new collection presentation titled Collection as Cosmos. Departing from traditional chronological narratives, this exhibition invites visitors to experience time as a fluid and dynamic concept. The museum transforms into a space where multiple temporalities and stories coexist, fostering wonder and dialogue across eras.

Collection as Cosmos explores time as it is felt—not in numbers, but in emotions—and examines how stories connect us to broader rhythms, from human history to the cosmos. The exhibition spans three floors, featuring approximately 250 works from the collection, arranged like constellations. Among the featured artists, the exhibition will include work by Natasja Kensmil. Instead of grouping by art movements, the works are organized around four distinct approaches to time:

Four Approaches to Time

  1. Non-Chronological Time: Developed with the Johannesburg working group of Another Roadmap Africa Cluster (ARAC), this approach connects personal objects and memories with artworks, using non-linear timelines.
  2. Regenerative Time: Inspired by artist and grief researcher G, this theme explores loss, transformation, and renewal, integrating life cycles into the museum experience.
  3. Public Time: Drawing from Ima-Abasi Okon’s solo exhibition, this approach challenges conventional timekeeping, offering alternative ways to experience time beyond standard museum norms.
  4. Cosmic Time: Developed with Nolan Oswald Dennis, this perspective links celestial patterns—such as the Pleiades—to land, emphasizing cycles of sowing, harvesting, and cosmic rhythms.

These four frameworks allow visitors to engage with time on personal, social, ecological, and cosmic levels, creating a dynamic, non-linear encounter with art.

Collection as Cosmos is curated by Yolande Zola Zoli van der Heide (Senior Curator), in collaboration with Defne Ayas (Director), Abril Cisneros Ramírez (Assistant Curator), Nikita Hurkmans (Project Manager), Steven ten Thije (Head of Collections), and the Van Abbemuseum team. For more information, visit the Van Abbemuseum website.