The 2026 edition is dedicated to social art practices and the ways in which artists actively engage with the city. The nominees are: Jaasir Linger, WORKNOT! (Golnar Abassi and Arvand Pourabassi) and Snackbar FriedaThe jury, consisting of Jeanne van Heeswijk, Leana Boven, and Charlien Adriaenssens, specifically selected artists and collectives committed to self-organization, solidarity, and the power of collective narratives. For the Dolf Henkes Prize, we are organizing various public activities at TENT and on location throughout the city. We are also producing three short videos about the nominees' working methods and activism. The central question is: How do we engage with the city? These videos will be available for viewing on our social media channels and in the exhibition space at Coolhaven 32 in mid-April. Jury chair Jeanne van Heeswijk: Many makers themselves provide a foundation for collective practices by sharing resources, skills, and knowledge. In a society where there's increasingly less opportunity to shape your own living environment, building collective support structures is a strategy for contributing to the city at all. As a jury, we therefore asked ourselves these questions: Who brings energy and movement to the city, who creates or claims space for themselves and others, and who currently benefits from a helping hand?
Henkes Prize now known as Rotterdam Art Prizes
Under the banner of the Rotterdam Art Awards, Mayor Carola Schouten will present three prestigious awards at Rotterdam City Hall on Tuesday, April 21st: the Brutus Award, the Hendrik Chabot Award, and the Dolf Henkes Award. This joint presentation stems from a shared goal: all three organizations are committed to the importance of high-quality, distinctive art and aim to raise awareness among a broad audience in Rotterdam, the region, and beyond. The awards are for various categories of artists, at varying ages and stages of their artistic careers. To achieve this, the organizations collaborate with cultural institutions in Rotterdam, including CBK Rotterdam, the Chabot Museum, TENT Rotterdam, Brutus, Stichting Droom en Daad, Stichting Volkskracht, and other partners.
Jaasir Linger winner of the Dolf Henkes Prize 2026
The jury awards the prize to Jaasír Linger for the way in which, as a passionate storyteller and connector, he builds bridges between generations, cultural creators, and diaspora communities in Rotterdam. Drawing from the Surinamese cultural memory, Linger creates symbolic and spiritual artworks and organizes events to transmit cultural heritage live. The jury commends his commitment to broadening his practice and has great appreciation for the way in which he brings together music, dance, clothing, food, stories, and rituals in collaboration with others into a collective experience.
About the other nominees
Snack bar Frieda has been nominated because of the way the collective uses direct action space claims for self-organization. By frying free fries every week, a squatted building in Rotterdam-West became a neighborhood meeting place. Frieda addresses the system's shortcomings by making inventive use of its leftovers. It's an experiment in how profit can be replaced by autonomous food distribution. and radical care for one another, intended as a movement for further growth. In addition to its own activities, Snackbar Frieda offers a space to others who want to work on system change. snackers will use the Dolf Henkes nomination and collaboration with TENT to participate in workshops and a short docu to tell their story and share methods.
WORKNOT! is a collaboration between Golnar Abbasi and Arvand Pourabbasi. The jury nominated them for their critical research into precarious living conditions and commitment to the principle of mutual aid. The jury also appreciates their inventive ways of reaching people, for example, through self-publishing and bicycle couriers. At a time when it sometimes feels impossible to make a difference in the face of overwhelming injustice in the world, WORKNOT! focuses on solidarity as a daily practice. They will use the Dolf Henkes Prize nomination to create "solidarity packages" to distribute throughout the city.
This year's award ceremony will take place at City Hall
Op Tuesday, April 21 Mayor Carola Schouten presented the three Rotterdam Art Prizes during a private ceremony in Rotterdam City Hall. For more information about the Brutus Prize, the Hendrik Chabot Prize, and the accompanying programming, please visit the website at the bottom.
About the Henkes Foundation
The Dolf Henkes Prize of €12.000 is intended as an incentive for Rotterdam artists. The prize has now been in existence for 22 years and focuses on Rotterdam artists with a distinct, relevant practice. Since the third edition, TENT Rotterdam, platform for contemporary art in Rotterdam, has been a partner in realizing presentations and public activities with the nominees. More about the Henkes Foundation via this link.
