Nora Turato Unveils New Commission, Major Donation, and Record Launch at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is currently presenting a multifaceted engagement with the work of artist Nora Turato. This comprehensive update includes a newly commissioned site-specific artwork, the significant donation and acquisition of a previous installation, and the release of a new vinyl record. These developments highlight Turato's ongoing exploration of language, the body, and contemporary communication within an institutional context.
A New Site-Specific Commission for Visitors
The museum now features a new site-specific commission by Nora Turato, titled i was empty and now i'm full. This artwork is thoughtfully installed on the first floor, positioned opposite Lawrence Weiner’s Escalated from Time to Time (1973) at the Fonda Café. Turato's piece deliberately interacts with both the legacy of conceptual art and the unique environment of a museum café, a space where visitors pause before, during, or after experiencing art.
The work employs warm, sunny yellow letters in the Comic Sans font, arranged in a circle on the wall, to explore themes of mental and bodily fulfillment. An integrated sound component further reinforces this concept, emphasizing the role of physical experience in aesthetic engagement—a growing focus in Turato’s artistic practice over recent years.
A Key Work Enters the Stedelijk's Collection
Building on her previous contributions to the museum, an edition of Turato’s impactful video and sound installation, I hear you, I hear you, has been generously donated by the artist to the Stedelijk Museum. This piece was previously featured as part of the museum’s IN SITU series, running from September 2024 to August 2025.
Visitors to the earlier exhibition experienced this work by ascending an escalator, encountering an installation that combined bodily movement, evocative soundscapes, and rapidly changing words displayed on a monumental screen. The donation ensures that this ambitious work, which delves into questions of communication and perception, becomes a permanent part of the museum's collection.
The pool7 Record Launch in Amsterdam
Following her exploration with I hear you, I hear you, Turato developed the performance pool7. This piece delved into the profound question of genuine listening in a contemporary world increasingly shaped by digital communication and AI-generated content. In a shift from her earlier methods of drawing from online language, pool7 featured deeply personal, self-written material, conveyed through expressive physical movements.
While no video recordings exist of the live pool7 performances from 2025, the Stedelijk Museum commissioned a unique direct-to-disc vinyl recording of the work. This limited edition of 500 records was produced on November 6, 2025. The official launch of this record is scheduled for May 21, 2026, at 6:00 pm at San Serriffe Amsterdam, with a special intervention by the artist planned for 6:30 pm.
These latest developments offer visitors new insights into Nora Turato’s evolving artistic practice at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. To discover more about contemporary art and design exhibitions in the city, explore Musemap (musemap.art) for details on current showings or browse other museums in Amsterdam. You can also view more upcoming cultural events on the whats-on page.
