Merel van Helsdingen of Nxt Museum on new media art

In a large, 1400 m2 black building in Amsterdam North, you step into a world of large-scale, digital art installations that expand your view and sharpen your senses. Founder Merel van Helsdingen: "We want people to think about the impact of technology on our lives." In the futuristic world of Nxt Museum, you will interact with the deeper worlds of humans in the virtual world through new artworks via avatars, video games and digital fashion.

What does it take to open a museum like Nxt?
"A lot! Because it is such a new form of art, and there is nothing comparable, it was important to travel a lot and learn from festivals, events and similar museums abroad. What is needed? In terms of building, but also in terms of art: what is creatively the direction we want to go with Nxt Museum? The whole preliminary research process has been very important. The second important aspect was finding the location: it is such a specific location needed and Amsterdam has such a high demand and low supply when it comes to real estate.

And then also in Amsterdam-North, because that is the perfect place for the modern visitor; off the beaten track and multicultural. The third part is building a business plan. I think unlike more traditional museums, which often start with a collection, a location, or a legacy they build on - with us it started with a business case. We want to show 100% new media art and we started by asking: what does it take and how are we going to do it?"

Why is Nxt Museum groundbreaking?
Nxt is the home for art and technology. We have built a place where we focus purely on "tech art," which otherwise does not exist on this scale in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we not only exhibit art in a large-scale, all-encompassing way, but we invest in the art by developing new works. We have an extensive educational program focused on technological development within art for young and old, emerging and established artists and people who are just starting out and want to know more. Nxt Lab is the place for experiments and Nxt Stage is where that is occasionally expressed on a large scale, for example during big parties like ADE.

What is the message behind Nxt?
"For me personally: think about the impact of technology on our lives and on our identity. We want to get people thinking about the future in an era where technology is going to play an increasing role. We broach several sub-topics, such as facial recognition software, climate change, identity, anonymity and the role of deep-fakes in today's communication landscape. We want people to walk out of NXT thinking, 'wow, these are all kinds of new technologies that have crept into our lives. What's the impact of that?'"

Nxt Museum is the first museum in the Netherlands to focus entirely on media art. Discover large-scale, digital art installations that expand your view and sharpen the senses. The art of tomorrow, today.

How do you describe the art you experience in Nxt?
"We say, 'our artists are using modern tools to embody modern times.' I really like that. We show the art of the now, where artists are using the tools they have now: technology, science, sound and the latest forms of media. We talk about topics of the future. We don't show a retrospective, but rather art that addresses relevant topics and the social and technological challenges of today, such as digital personalities in virtual worlds."

What can you tell about the current exhibition UFO?
"The virtualization of our lives has accelerated considerably, mainly also due to two years of coronalockdowns. What does the balance between our physical selves and our digital double(s) look like now? You can experience that in the exhibition UFO - Unidentified Fluid Other in Nxt ."