Animals of the Canals

Can be spotted everywhere

From busy canals to quiet gardens; animals can be found everywhere in the city. Sometimes hidden, concealed or on the move, but always close by. And that is exactly what makes it so much fun, the better you look, the more you discover. Animals provide movement and life in the city. You will experience that in this city no animal is too many, everything has found a place in the wonderful urban ecosystem. Some animals even have a clear function in the city. Whether they help recycle waste or clean the canal water, they ensure the right balance together with us humans.

Typical characters

In this exhibition we give the animals that live here their own character, sometimes with typical Amsterdam traits. For example, the ring-necked parakeet is a noisy neighbour, the mute swan is a flaneur and the river bullhead is a night owl. We give them human traits because that helps us to understand them better and to recognise ourselves a little in them.

Animals as inspiration

In addition, there is contemporary, animal-inspired art on display by Hanneke Giezen (ceramic artist), Tobias Asser (visual artist) and Isabella Rozendaal (photographer).