Operating from the former bathhouse at the heart of the monumental Justus van Effen complex in Rotterdam (NL), A Tale of a Tub stimulates new developments in contemporary art and explores their meaning within the realm of art and beyond. A Tale of a Tub offers a testing ground for ideas stemming from the practices of artists, curators and theorists. A Tale of a Tub was founded by Nathanja van Dijk and Suzanne Wallinga and is run in partnership with Carolyn H Drake.
The name A Tale of a Tub refers to the former bathhouse as well as to the first major work written by the Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist and poet, Jonathan Swift. The work was translated into Dutch by the author Justus van Effen, who achieved international recognition as a writer of periodicals. Research, dialogue and reflection lie at the center of A Tale of a Tub’s programming. Intertwined with the presentation program, a local public program is organized, consisting of performances, screenings, artist talks, publications, lectures by curators and scholars, and theory development with regards to the practices of A Tale of a Tub’s participating artists.
