The MELLYs Award Celebration - Meet The Winners: Kees Reedijk, Gigi Kraan, and The Niteshop (Malique Mohamud)

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the very first edition of The MELLYs, our new annual award celebration dedicated to honoring the unseen heroes of the arts. This inaugural edition recognizes three remarkable contributors whose labor, care, and cultural leadership have profoundly shaped artistic life in Rotterdam and throughout the Netherlands.

Launched as part of Kunstinstituut Melly’s 35th anniversary, and supported by Mondriaan Fonds, Stichting Stokroos, and Erasmusstichting Rotterdam, The MELLYs highlight the essential individuals who keep the arts ecosystem thriving. Each award includes a €25,000 prize, underscoring our commitment to acknowledging those whose craft, documentation, and community-led practices deserve greater visibility.

The Maker Behind the Maker Award

Winner: Kees Reedijk

The Maker Behind the Maker Award celebrates the craftspeople, technicians, and producers whose behind-the-scenes expertise makes artistic visions possible. We are thrilled to announce Kees Reedijk as this year’s winner.

For over two decades, Reedijk has collaborated closely with artists across the Netherlands, designing custom electronic systems, software, and multimedia solutions that expand what installation and media art can be. His background in electrical engineering, together with formative years in broadcast studios and at the Rijksakademie, has shaped a practice defined by innovation, technical excellence, and deep generosity.

The jury highlighted Reedijk’s extensive mentorship, noting how he has nurtured a community of makers through years of guidance. At a time when mentorship and knowledge-sharing in the arts are increasingly undervalued, his contribution stands out as both vital and visionary.

Watch & Learn More: Interview with Kees Reedijk

The Behind the Lens Award

Winner: Gigi Kraan

We are proud to announce Gigi Kraan as the recipient of the Behind the Lens Award, previously known as the Berry Koedam Award. This category honors photographers and image-makers whose work documents, shapes, and expands public visibility within the art field.

Kraan’s multidisciplinary practice focuses on identity, heritage, and representation, using photography as a tool for community-centered storytelling. Her acclaimed projects, including It Means Everything Because This Is Who I Am, emerge from within the communities she photographs, amplifying underrepresented voices through an approach rooted in care, equity, and dialogue.

The jury praised her socially engaged and participatory method, noting how she challenges traditional notions of authorship and transforms the act of photographing into a collaborative, empowering process. Her work exemplifies how image-making can spark cultural visibility and social change.

Watch & Learn More: Interview with Gigi Kraan

The Visionary 010 Award

Winner: Malique Mohamud (The Niteshop)

The Visionary 010 Award celebrates transformative cultural leadership grounded in Rotterdam’s communities. This year, “010” was added to highlight the award’s focus on the creative futures of the city.

We are excited to honor designer, Hip Hop futurist, and cultural leader Malique Mohamud of The Niteshop. Through this hybrid design and research platform, The Niteshop harnesses lived experience and street-level knowledge as tools for city-making. Their work spans the Schiedamseweg space, community programs, and an impactful online presence that invites a wide public into complex conversations about culture, identity, and belonging.

The jury recognized The Niteshop’s belief that culture grows from the neighborhood outward, centering migrant culture not as an exception but as a fundamental part of Dutch identity. Their “street-slang pedagogies,” Cultural Currency Conference, and commitment to empowering young and marginalized communities reflect a bold vision for a super-diverse, postcolonial Rotterdam.

Watch & Learn More: Interview with Malique Mohamud

About The MELLYs

The MELLYs reaffirm Kunstinstituut Melly’s dedication to supporting emerging, underrecognized, and community-centered cultural practices. This celebration honors the people whose contributions quietly yet powerfully shape the landscape of the arts.

The evening began within Riet Wijnen’s Suitcase Economy installation and continued with scenography by Loui Meeuwissen, performances by donna Kukama and the Unemployed Airhostesses, and a DJ set by Jollyfish during dinner. The program was moderated by Evita de Roode. The physical awards were created by artist Jabu Arnell, whose practice embraces experimentation with found materials and open research formats. We extend our gratitude to Bobby’s Gin for supporting this event.

Proceeds from The MELLYs contribute to Kunstinstituut Melly’s 2026 program, including a major retrospective of Moshekwa Langa, helping ensure the future of socially engaged and experimental art practices in the Netherlands.

We invite you to learn more about this year’s winners and to join us in celebrating their meaningful contributions.