Press

Dear all,

After three transformative years, Rita Ouédraogo’s role as co-founding curator of Buro Stedelijk will conclude at the end of 2025, marking the completion of the initial project cycle.

Buro Stedelijk was established by the Stedelijk Museum in collaboration with the Rijksakademie and De Ateliers. From December 2022, founding curators Azu Nwagbogu and Rita Ouédraogo collaboratively conceptualized the operating framework of Buro Stedelijk. From December 2023, under Rita’s leadership, Buro Stedelijk has grown to a vital platform exploring new curatorial methodologies and fostering cross-cultural dialogue within contemporary art, culture, and design. Together, we have developed programming that bridges cultural perspectives and centers voices often marginalized in these spaces, redefining the relationship between museum, project space, and community, between inside and outside.

A commitment to radical presence and collaborative practice has shaped every aspect of Buro Stedeljik’s work. A deep understanding of cultural dynamics have enabled us to build something truly distinctive: a space where experimental curation meets community engagement, where institutional boundaries become fluid, and where new forms of cultural dialogue can emerge.

The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam will begin their search for a successor this summer, ensuring a thoughtful transition.

“I always knew I wanted to embrace the temporal nature of this work. Three years that would inevitably fly by, but years that could hold immense possibility. Leading Buro Stedelijk has been intensely demanding, yet I’m profoundly grateful for what we’ve accomplished with amazing collaborators.

Despite countless obstacles, we discovered joy and found our rhythm through the simple, radical act of showing up, again and again.”

– Rita Ouédraogo, Buro Stedelijk’s co-founding curator

more than 80 manifestations and over 200 collaborators

Over the past few years, Buro Stedelijk has grown into a vibrant platform where innovative artistic practices come to life. From the powerful work of Julianknxx, Miles Greenberg, and Ola Hassanain to the recurring To Be Determined series featuring artists such as Kenneth Aidoo, Nazif Lopulissa, Lorraine Hellwig, Mirre Yayla Séur, Marcel van den Berg, and Kevin Osepa, Buro Stedelijk continues to be a space for experimentation and exchange.

We’ve explored new forms with artists like Müge Yılmaz and Anna Hoetjes through the speculative Feminist Sci-Fi Reading Group, and we’ve built bridges with both international and local artists including Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, Joël Andrianomearisoa, Narges Mohammadi, Geo Wyex, Martin Toloku, Simomo Bouj, and many others.

Through close collaborations with a wide range of organizations, we constantly create new opportunities. These include off-site manifestations, such as our annual collaboration with Keti Koti Westerpark, and public-facing projects like the window print series in our Studio Space.

The strength of Buro Stedelijk lies in this very diversity: from one experiment to the next, from local to global, we continue to seek unexpected encounters—moments where collective imagination and diverse voices meet.

For more information, visits or interview requests, please contact us via press@burostedelijk.nl.