Zahra Malkani appointed Rijksmuseum Artist in Residence 2026
Publication date: 16 February 2026 - 11:46
The Rijksmuseum has named Pakistani artist Zahra Malkani as its Artist in Residence for 2026. Malkani is the second artist to participate in the Rijksmuseum’s Artist in Residence programme. Malkani’s proposal was selected by the committee for its originality and quality. Her project, in which she investigates water as a carrier of ecological, historical and colonial memory, closely aligns with ongoing research at the Rijksmuseum around themes such as sustainability and colonial history. She impressed the committee with a proposal that presents collaboration and knowledge exchange as essential components, often in dialogue with communities and experts from multiple disciplines.
For the duration of her yearlong residency, Malkani will have access to the Rijksmuseum’s collections, library, archive, laboratories and expertise.
Malkani has been living and working in the Netherlands for three years. Her artistic practice is characterised by a focus on research and collaboration. Malkani’s practice encompasses painting, text, video and multimedia installation and centres around the ecological crisis, climate change, and water’s role in human life.
I am looking forward to spending this year with the expansive collections and communities at the Rijksmuseum. The museum offers a powerful space in which to explore questions that have long shaped my practice. My interests lie in our relationship with water, colonial history, the sacred and the secular, and decay and preservation
Zahra Malkani, Rijksmuseum Artist in Residence 2026
The Rijksmuseum Artist in Residence Programma
The annual Artist in Residence programme is part of the broader Rijksmuseum Fellowship Programme, which we offer to university researchers. Artists can submit proposals for the realisation of an artwork or artistic intervention that draws on the collection, the history, or other aspects of the Rijksmuseum.
We anticipate that this initiative will foster cross-fertilisation between artistic and academic practice. Through the programme, the Rijksmuseum is expanding its engagement with contemporary art and strengthening its collaboration with practicing artists.
The Rijksmuseum Artist in Residence Programme is made possible in part by support from the Mondriaan Fund and through the Rijksmuseum Fund: Conrad Whelan 42 Fund, the ABREZIEL Fund and a private donor.
For more information, see Artist in Residence Programme – Rijksmuseum
