Spread across sixteen monumental industrial halls, each space will have a completely unique character. Each hall will be permanently dedicated to the work of one contemporary artist, so that visitors do not simply walk past art, but are completely immersed in an artistic world. No temporary exhibitions or fleeting installations, but long-term total experiences that are deeply anchored in the architecture of the former military and industrial complex.
What makes ZAMU special is the way art and nature reinforce each other. While the installations remain permanent, the surroundings constantly change with the seasons. In 2023, internationally renowned Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf designed a sprawling garden full of wildflowers, grasses and organic plantings. The contrast between the robust industrial buildings and the soft, vibrant nature gives the site an almost cinematic feel.
The first artistic filling was realized in June 2024 with nineteen sculptures by American artist John Chamberlain (1927-2011). His monumental works of deformed steel are a powerful beginning to a collection that will continue to develop in the coming years through collaborations with leading artists and important international estates from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
“ZAMU proves that contemporary art does not only need to be viewed, but can be experienced - amidst steel, silence and nature.”
With a planned opening in spring 2026, ZAMU is already positioning itself as one of the most promising cultural developments around Amsterdam. Where traditional museums often remain within their walls, Zaanstad Amsterdam Museum is creating a dynamic destination where art, landscape and history are in constant dialogue.
Those who will soon walk across the Hembrug site will discover not just a museum, but a completely new cultural ecosystem on the water of the Zaan.