When the City Archives invited Dana Lixenberg to do a photo project on Amsterdam, she chose to focus on De Wallen, a neighbourhood she has a personal history with. She lived there for the early part of her life and her father, the artist Cyril Lixenberg, maintained a studio there until he died. During the downtime brought about by the Covid lockdowns, she rediscovered the neighbourhood she knew well. From 2021 to 2025 Lixenberg became part of the microenvironment that is De Wallen: its narrow alleyways, canals, daily rhythm. She observed life there closely, with an eye for detail and without judgment. The result is a series of intimate black-and-white portraits and monumental interior photographs in colour, a video installation and a book.
The De Wallen exhibition and publication present a portrait of this unique neighbourhood in the historic city centre as captured for our time. Despite all the different kinds of problems, there is a strong sense of community: different generations of Amsterdammers, newcomers, entrepreneurs, sex workers, students, the unhoused and artists all living and working side by side. This tends to go remarkably well, but can also cause friction.
The exhibition The Wallen can be seen from September 12, 2025 to February 15, 2026 at the Amsterdam City Archives.
The entire project was documented and presented in a book titled De Wallen Amsterdam published by Roma Publications.
For more information on the exhibition, please click here.
