Amsterdam Museum opens exhibition on homelessness: "(T)homeless in the city"

The Amsterdam Museum presents a new exhibition highlighting homelessness in the city, titled "Collecting the City #5: (T)houseless in the city - Stories from the street". The exhibition can be seen from 14 February to 1 June 2025 and is organised as part of Amsterdam's 750th anniversary.

The changing face of homelessness

According to estimates by De Regenboog Groep, there are currently around 17,000 homeless people in Amsterdam. Whereas homelessness used to be mainly associated with alcohol and drug problems, we now see an increasingly diverse group of people affected, including:

• People with jobs
• Families
• Migrant workers
• People unable to find housing due to housing crisis
• People outside the care system

Cooperation with partners

The exhibition is part of the Collecting the City programme and was developed in cooperation with De Regenboog Groep and HVO-Querido. This cooperation ensures that the stories are told not about, but by people who have themselves experienced homelessness or work with it on a daily basis.

Highlights of the exhibition

Visitors can expect the following:

• Personal objects and stories of people who have experienced homelessness
• Robin Alysha Clemens' documentary "Between Small Places" (2024), in which homeless writer Brian reflects on what 'home' means to him
• Work from the Amsterdam Museum's collection, including Jacques Vedel du Boisbaudry's self-portrait - the first work by a homeless maker in the museum's collection
• Personal portraits and ceramic works made by experiencers

Freedom and care

The exhibition also addresses the theme of freedom. Although homelessness is almost never a choice, for some it is also a way to break away from structures that feel too confining. It also focuses on the caregivers who work on a daily basis for this vulnerable group of Amsterdam residents.

Looking to the future

The exhibition concludes with a look ahead to the future and offers space for reflection. What does the future of homelessness look like? And what does 'home' mean now and later? With this exhibition, the Amsterdam Museum aims to present a more multifaceted picture of homelessness and create more understanding for a group of people who are easily overlooked.

Practical information

• Location: Amsterdam Museum aan de Amstel (Amstel 51)
• Dates: 14 February to 1 June 2025
• The exhibition is made possible in part by the City of Amsterdam, Friends Lottery, ELJA Foundation and Amsterdam 750