Ekow Eshun to Deliver Annual Bathtub Lecture at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam on December 13
Ekow Eshun will deliver the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam’s annual Bathtub Lecture on December 13, 2025. In the lecture titled In the Realm of the Marvellous, he examines how artists and institutions can respond to political pressure, cultural polarization, and social tension by prioritizing intuition, association, and imagination over traditional analytical methods. Eshun argues that museums must move beyond neutrality to create space for multiple perspectives and new forms of knowledge. Art historian Malgorzata Ludwisiak will respond to the lecture, after which Eshun and Ludwisiak will join a moderated conversation with the audience led by curator Amanda Pinatih.
The Signal
The lecture underscores museums’ evolving role in addressing societal divides, signaling that institutions may increasingly prioritize inclusive programming and imaginative frameworks to remain relevant. Curators and collectors can view this as an indicator of shifting institutional priorities toward empathy-driven engagement with contemporary art practices. Eshun’s experience chairing the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group and curating exhibitions such as In the Black Fantastic lends weight to these recommendations for museum strategy.
- People: Ekow Eshun, Malgorzata Ludwisiak, Amanda Pinatih
- Museums: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Locations: Amsterdam
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