Kunsthuis SYB
Kunsthuis SYB is a non-profit contemporary art institution founded in 2000 in Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, Netherlands. It operates six-week artist residencies, rotating exhibitions, a triennial festival, and an art prize for contemporary artists, public visitors, and academy students, funded by the Mondriaan Fund and Province of Fryslân.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersBeetsterzwaag, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kunsthuis SYB does
Kunsthuis SYB is a non-profit contemporary art institution established in 2000 in the village of Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, Netherlands, operating from a monumental building on Hoofdstraat 70. The organisation was founded in honour of gallerist, collector and mentor Sybren Hellinga (1945-2000) and continues his legacy through the Sybren Hellinga Foundation. Its core programming consists of rotating contemporary art exhibitions, six-week research residencies for artists and writers (with no obligation to produce new work), a public program of talks/workshops/screenings, commissioned artistic writing via the Journal (including the Tangents x SYB: Artists & Writers in Dialogue series), the triennial Triënnnale fan Beetstersweach (running since 2015), and the triennial Sybren Hellinga Keunstpriis art prize (awarded since 1998, with documented recipients from 1998 to 2022).
The organisation is operated by a team of nine staff (Director Arnisa Zeqo, Coordinator Gisanne Hendriks, Communication Anna Lillioja, Production Alice Conforti, Social Media Fiadhira Rasyah, Graphic Design Sabo Day assisted by Augustinas Milkus, Web Development Ronja Andersen) plus house club volunteers, governed by a board with Interim Chair Petra Heck and Treasurer Eva van Vessem. There is no proprietary technology platform; the venue itself functions as the primary distribution asset, with opening hours Thursday/Friday/Sunday 13:00-17:00, partial accessibility due to the listed-building status, and free admission with no ticketing or registration.
The business model is grant-funded non-profit operations under Dutch nonprofit structure. Primary revenue streams are public subsidies from the Mondriaan Fund (national visual arts funder) and the Province of Fryslân (regional government), supplemented by merchandise and artist-edition sales via the institution's online shop. Customer segments are split between (i) contemporary artists and writers as residency/program participants (with named examples including Moe Satt, Winnie Herbstein, An Ye Zhi de Jong, Mikałaj Sobczak and Selma Selman), (ii) art students from Academy Minerva and similar institutions using 24-hour ultra-short residencies, and (iii) the local and visiting public attending exhibitions and events free of charge. No venture, PE or parent company ownership is indicated, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.
Kunsthuis SYB firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kunsthuis SYB
- Legal name
- Kunsthuis SYB
- Website
- https://kunsthuissyb.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Kunsthuis SYB is a non-profit contemporary art institution founded in 2000 in Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, Netherlands. It operates six-week artist residencies, rotating exhibitions, a triennial festival, and an art prize for contemporary artists, public visitors, and academy students, funded by the Mondriaan Fund and Province of Fryslân.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kunsthuis SYB industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contemporary Art Gallery and Residency Space
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers (THAHABAC)
Keywords
Where Kunsthuis SYB is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beetsterzwaag
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kunsthuis SYB business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Exhibition and Residency Programs: Primary programming includes exhibitions, artist residencies, public programs, and the triennial festival. Revenue streams include shop sales of merchandise and artist editions.
- Merchandise and Artist Editions Sales: The shop sells merchandise and artist's editions resulting from Kunsthuis Syb's programme.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free admission to all exhibitions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Kunsthuis SYB product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kunsthuis SYB is a non-profit contemporary art space in Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, Netherlands that presents rotating exhibitions of local and international artists, hosts six-week research residencies for artists and writers, runs a public program of talks, workshops, performances and screenings, publishes commissioned artistic writing, and organizes the triennial Triënnale fan Beetstersweach festival and the triennial Sybren Hellinga Keunstpriis. The organization operates from a monumental building on the main street of Beetsterzwaag and supplements public funding (Mondriaan Fund and Province of Fryslân) with merchandise sales from its on-site and online shop.
Product overview
Kunsthuis SYB operates as a unified art-space offering rather than a modular platform. Its core portfolio consists of rotating contemporary art exhibitions, six-week research residencies for artists and writers, a public program of events and workshops, commissioned artistic writing via the Journal, and the biennial Triënnale fan Beetstersweach festival. The organization also runs the triennial Sybren Hellinga Keunstpriis art prize and maintains a shop selling artist editions and merchandise. These offerings are integrated under one organizational identity, sharing the monumentally preserved building in Beetsterzwaag as the primary venue and hosting space for the apartment-based residency program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Triënnale fan Beetstersweach: A triennial art festival bringing artworks back to the village where they were created, featuring local and international artists
- Sybren Hellinga Keunstpriis
Products and services
- Exhibitions Rotating group and solo exhibitions featuring local and international contemporary artists, held at the monumentally preserved venue in Beetsterzwaag. Free admission for visitors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 20 years of continuous programming with annual residencies
Companies that use Kunsthuis SYB
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Kunsthuis SYB technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Kunsthuis SYB partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Casco Art Institute: Working for the CommonsmajorCollaboration with Casco Art Institute in Utrecht for Winnie Herbstein's exhibition 'We need to speak about living room' - first joint exhibition between two inter-regional art institutions focused on feminist legacies, housing, and political awareness.
- Stedelijk Museum AmsterdammajorCollaboration resulting from Selma Selman's ABN AMRO Art Award - she had a solo exhibition at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in 2025.
- NoordenaarscorePlatform for art presentation venues and initiatives in northern Netherlands. Kunsthuis SYB participates in Artist in Space program supporting artistic and professional development of visual artists through collaborations with art spaces in Friesland, Drenthe, and Groningen.
- VHDGminorCollaboration partner for Kunstkamp 2024: I want to live in the country (and other romances) - a weekend with workshops and encounters near the Waddenzee.
- KeunstwurkminorCultural support organization collaborating on Kunstkamp 2024 program.
- Netwerk Cultuur & NatuurminorNetwork organization supporting cultural and nature initiatives, collaborating on Kunstkamp 2024.
- Het Lage NoordenminorVenue partner for Kunstkamp 2024 near the Waddenzee.
- Academy MinervamajorAnnual collaboration with Academy Minerva (Groningen) for 24-hour residency program for third and fourth-year students. Students experience working as artist-in-residence, planning and executing projects on location. Project supported by Mondriaan Fund and Province of Friesland.
- ROZENSTRAATmajorSHK x Rozenstraat collaboration for the Carriers exhibition 2022 - five works were 're-presented' at ROZENSTRAAT in Amsterdam, with curator Titus Nouwens engaging in conversation with the artists about their practice.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kunsthuis SYB competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten: Amsterdam-based artist residency institution with a much larger two-year residency program. Comparable as a Dutch residency provider but operates at a significantly larger scale and longer residency duration.
- Van Abbemuseum: Eindhoven-based contemporary art museum in a Dutch regional city. Comparable regional positioning and Dutch contemporary art focus, but operates at significantly larger scale with permanent collection.
Direct peers
- De Appel: Amsterdam-based curatorial program for emerging contemporary artists with exhibitions and an artists-in-residence track. Directly comparable in mission to develop emerging talent and comparable in institutional scale.
- Kunstinstituut Melly: Rotterdam-based independent contemporary art institute with exhibitions, research programs, and publications. Comparable in scale and curatorial ambition, though with a stronger urban footprint.
- Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons: Utrecht-based non-profit art institute focused on commoning practices and contemporary art. Closely comparable in size, mission, and programming model; already a formal partner of Kunsthuis SYB (Winnie Herbstein joint exhibition 2026).
- ROZENSTRAAT – a rose is a rose is a rose: Amsterdam-based artist-run exhibition space focused on emerging contemporary practice. Already a partner of Kunsthuis SYB (Carriers exhibition 2022), and comparable in size and curatorial focus.
Regional players
- BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art: Gateshead-based contemporary art center in a non-capital UK city with major exhibitions, residencies, and learning programs. Highly comparable model of a regional contemporary art hub with residency offerings.
- Fridericianum: Kassel-based independent contemporary art institution in a smaller German city with a non-collecting exhibition model. Comparable operating model as an exhibition-driven independent art space without a permanent collection.
- Villa Empain: Brussels-based foundation-run art space housed in a historical villa, offering contemporary exhibitions. Comparable in operating model (foundation-run art space in a heritage building with rotating exhibitions and public programs).
- Museum Het Domein: Sittard-based regional Dutch museum for modern and contemporary art. Comparable regional Dutch positioning and contemporary art programming, though with a permanent collection focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kunsthuis SYB social profiles
Digital presenceKunsthuis SYB financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kunsthuis SYB leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Kunsthuis SYB funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kunsthuis SYB M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kunsthuis SYB
What does Kunsthuis SYB do?
Kunsthuis SYB is a non-profit contemporary art space in Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, Netherlands that presents rotating exhibitions of local and international artists, hosts six-week research residencies for artists and writers, runs a public program of talks, workshops, performances and screenings, publishes commissioned artistic writing, and organizes the triennial Triënnale fan Beetstersweach festival and the triennial Sybren Hellinga Keunstpriis. The organization operates from a monumental building on the main street of Beetsterzwaag and supplements public funding (Mondriaan Fund and Province of Fryslân) with merchandise sales from its on-site and online shop.
Is Kunsthuis SYB a public or private company?
Kunsthuis SYB is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Kunsthuis SYB founded?
Kunsthuis SYB was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Kunsthuis SYB based?
Kunsthuis SYB is headquartered in Beetsterzwaag, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Kunsthuis SYB make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Exhibition and Residency Programs are the primary driver. The others are merchandise and Artist Editions Sales.
Who are Kunsthuis SYB's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten and Van Abbemuseum. Direct peers are De Appel, Kunstinstituut Melly, Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons and ROZENSTRAAT – a rose is a rose is a rose. Regional players are BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Fridericianum, Villa Empain and Museum Het Domein.
Does Kunsthuis SYB have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kunsthuis SYB.
What industry is Kunsthuis SYB in?
Kunsthuis SYB's product category is Contemporary Art Gallery and Residency Space. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit), with a secondary code of THAHABAC, Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers. Its NAICS code is 7121 and its SIC code is 7900.