Kunsthal Rotterdam to Host 'Plastic Sea, Perfect Storm' Exhibition in October 2026

Kunsthal Rotterdam will host the exhibition Plastic Sea, Perfect Storm in Hal 3 from 3 October 2026 to 7 March 2027. Created by photographer Rob Hornstra and author Arnold van Bruggen, the visual display documents the living and working conditions of undocumented migrant workers in Europe's largest greenhouse complex along the Almería coastline in southern Spain.

Documenting Spain's Greenhouse Industry

The southern Spanish complex produces roughly 3.5 billion kilos of fruit and vegetables annually for European supermarkets, including stores in the Netherlands. To sustain this output, around 150,000 migrants without legal residency status work six-day weeks in severe conditions. Daytime temperatures inside the facilities frequently exceed 50 degrees Celsius, forcing many laborers to work night shifts instead.

The exhibition highlights both human and environmental realities through photographs and personal accounts:

• Workers living among plastic greenhouses in self-built shacks constructed from discarded pallets.

• An estimated 6 billion kilos of plastic waste produced by the agricultural sector each year.

• Waste drifting across the landscape and collecting in around 400 illegal dumping sites across southern Spain.

The work forms part of The Europeans, a broader multi-year project by Hornstra and Van Bruggen capturing contemporary life across the continent. A publication sharing the title Plastic Sea, Perfect Storm accompanies the presentation.

【Attraction Tickets】Rotterdam Zoo Ticket

Book tomorrow before 18:00

HKD 187 Start

Book now