Open minds, open city.
Discover carefully curated public lectures, author talks, debates and intellectual events in Amsterdam, Netherlands — selected by The Mindful City editorial team.
Last updated: September 24, 2026
Simon Schama · Rijksmuseum · September 25, 2026
Historian Simon Schama situates Rembrandt’s work within wider global exchanges and artistic networks. The lecture pairs close readings of key paintings with recent museum research.
Hanya Yanagihara · Amsterdam Public Library (OBA) · September 25, 2026
Hanya Yanagihara discusses the responsibilities of writers portraying human suffering and the moral limits of literary empathy. The session includes a reading followed by an audien…
Roxane Gay · OBA - Amsterdam Public Library · September 25, 2026
Roxane Gay reads from her latest essays and discusses the role of personal narrative in cultural criticism and activism. The event includes a conversation with a local writer and t…
Cathy O'Neil · De Balie · September 27, 2026
Data scientist and author Cathy O'Neil addresses the ongoing social impacts of algorithmic systems, exploring bias, accountability, and regulatory responses. The talk will include …
Simon Schama · Rijksmuseum · September 28, 2026
Historian Simon Schama places Rembrandt’s work in the context of seventeenth‑century global commerce and cultural exchange. His lecture draws on recent research to reconsider the e…
Steven Pinker · De Balie · September 28, 2026
Steven Pinker explores the current state of Enlightenment values and their relevance to modern public discourse and policy. The presentation will include responses from a local com…
Marina Abramović · Stedelijk Museum · September 28, 2026
Marina Abramović reflects on endurance, audience participation and the ethics of performance art over five decades. The talk considers new work and archival practices in contempora…
Thomas Piketty · Spui25 (University of Amsterdam) · September 28, 2026
Thomas Piketty presents his latest findings on wealth and income inequality across Europe and the implications for democratic institutions. The lecture is followed by an open discu…
Tommy Wieringa · Amsterdam Public Library (OBA) · September 28, 2026
Award-winning Dutch novelist Tommy Wieringa reads from his latest book and discusses themes of migration, memory, and language in contemporary Dutch literature. A live audience Q&A…
Alec Soth · FOAM Photography Museum · September 28, 2026
Renowned photographer Alec Soth presents his latest body of work and reflects on portraiture, narrative, and the ethics of photographic encounters. The lecture will be illustrated …
Naomi Klein · De Balie · September 28, 2026
Naomi Klein explores the cultural and political narratives needed to mobilise large-scale climate action. She argues for strategies that combine grassroots movements with policy tr…
Alain de Botton · Paradiso · September 28, 2026
Philosopher and author Alain de Botton explores practical philosophy for everyday life, considering friendship, work, and the pursuit of meaning. The session includes audience ques…
Saskia Sassen · Spui25 — University of Amsterdam · September 28, 2026
Saskia Sassen examines how global economic shifts are reshaping urban space and accelerating new forms of social inequality. The lecture situates Amsterdam within broader transnati…
Rutger Bregman · Spui25 — University of Amsterdam · September 28, 2026
Rutger Bregman returns to discuss universal basic income, working time reduction, and new proposals to confront inequality in the 2030s. The lecture will be followed by a student-l…
Martin Parr · FOAM Photography Museum · September 28, 2026
Renowned photographer Martin Parr talks about his career photographing contemporary life and the ethics of documentary practice. He will present a selection of recent work and take…
Simon Schama · Rijksmuseum · September 28, 2026
Simon Schama offers a close reading of Rembrandt's paintings and their cultural meanings in seventeenth-century Holland. The lecture situates Rembrandt within broader currents of a…
Hito Steyerl · Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam · September 28, 2026
Artist and writer Hito Steyerl discusses the political dimensions of moving image work and the documentary impulse in contemporary art. The talk will be followed by a curator-led w…
Zadie Smith · Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam · September 28, 2026
Zadie Smith discusses her new work and the ways cities shape literary imagination, moderated by a local critic. The event will consider questions of multiculturalism, language, and…
Saskia Sassen · Stedelijk Museum · September 28, 2026
Sociologist Saskia Sassen examines how global cities reshape political and economic sovereignty in the digital age. The talk will connect urban scholarship to ongoing debates about…
Naomi Klein · Spui25 — University of Amsterdam · September 28, 2026
Naomi Klein presents a lecture on the intersections of climate policy, economic power, and social movements. She outlines strategies for building political momentum toward climate …