Activating Common Ground: Dutch Culture at 2025 Osaka World Expo

Circularly built with a central dome, the Dutch Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan, features interactive storytelling, immersive AI-driven film, and participatory pledging stations where visitors can contribute to the dialogue. The pavilion organically weaves 5 themes from climate to tech, among which, the cultural programme plays a significant role, elaborating how culture can help shape a shared, inclusive and sustainable future.

Supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and curated by the Nieuwe Instituut’s lead team Aric Chen, Joyce Hanssen, Vincent Schipper, and Francien van Westrenen, the six-month cultural programme unfolds as a “live magazine”. This evolving format merges thematic exhibitions, performances, talk shows, editorial projects, and field research, allowing more than 150 involved Dutch and Japanese creators to collaborate extensively. At its core are seven Specials, which bring together artists, designers, and cultural institutions from both countries to co-create works across disciplines of visual arts, dance, design, music, and architecture. The comprehensive programme has been inviting Japanese and worldwide visitors to step into a living experiment in intercultural exchange. Before the 2025 Osaka World Expo closes in mid-October, DutchCulture interviewed a few participants to reflect on their experience.

A tangible introduction to the Dutch-Japanese exchange and collaboration can be seen in the exhibition furniture within the Dutch Pavilion. Rotterdam-based Studio ACTE designed stools, benches, folding screens, and shelving, using leftover hinoki wood, a material deeply tied to Japanese tradition. Working with a large Japanese woodworking factory, they embraced splicing joints to showcase the precision and poetry of local carpentry. Each piece followed a panel-on-legs principle that enabled modularity and easy assembly, while subtle variations in wood grain, colour, and joint design ensured uniqueness.

32 pieces were produced for use across multiple exhibitions, designed to be compact, durable, and flexible. “We learned a lot about traditional techniques and the culture of Japanese craftsmanship,” Estelle Barriol, architect and founder of Studio ACTE reflects. The project sparked ongoing discussions with their Japanese partner Morodomi from Saga Prefecture about extending collaboration into new furniture and architectural ventures, proving that the dialogue between Dutch design and Japanese craft continues with depth and breadth.  

From the static beauty of crafted wood, the cultural programme also moves into the kinetic language of dance. A new collaborative piece titled UNUM brought together four Dutch and eight Japanese dancers under the creative guidance of Dutch and Japanese choreographers: Adriaan Luteijn of Introdans, that for decades sets its mission to bring dance out to everyone in society; Dai Matsuoka of Land Fes, a Tokyo-based non-profit organization that promotes three axes of performing arts, local community, and diversity; and Yusuke Tsutsumi – an Introdans alumnus himself – of Sadamatsu Hamada Ballet.

Exploring unity through movement, their collaboration revealed subtle cultural differences that demanded respect and adaptability. “Respect is the key to optimal collaboration,” Luteijn observed, describing his partnership with Matsuoka to finding a soulmate. Early decisions on costumes, lighting, or sets became stepping stones rather than constraints, opening unexpected pathways. When UNUM debuted on the National Day of the Netherlands at the Expo on 21st May, it was met with enthusiasm, moving audiences and demonstrating how performance can bridge not only cultures but also generations. Plans are underway for future collaborations as well, including a performance in South Africa, new choreography in Kobe, and a hoped-for Dutch debut, reflecting the project’s enduring resonance.

Just as body movement can open new forms of dance expression, so can dialogue transform social perceptions. Bloody Beautiful seeks to normalize conversations around menstruation and menopause. It’s a Dutch-led initiative by award-winning research practice and creative studio affect lab from Amsterdam. Their work at the Expo includes a video piece directed by their creative director Klasien van de Zandschulp, in collaboration with their long-term Japanese partner, Sputniko!, and the Dutch video artist-coder Frank Bosma. Via the Expo platform, the video piece has reached over 45,000 people through live audiences, social media, and press coverage.

“Our key goal was to have a positive social impact on conversations about menstruation and menopause rights,” explains Natalie Dixon, founder and director of affect lab. It reflects their practice of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on gender equality and reduced inequalities. She highly values the exchange with Sputniko! over the past years. “We learned that our collaboration with Sputniko! is often about sharing information and mutually strengthening each other’s worlds and practice.” She also mentions the unexpected opportunities to meet fellow artists of the cultural programme, including choreographers Adriaan Luteijn and Dai Matsuoka, laying the groundwork for new projects in 2026.

Building on these creative exchanges, the Fashion and Textile Research Trip that took place in July offered yet another perspective on cross-cultural dialogue, this time rooted in sustainability and material experimentation. Curated by Lisa Konno and Studio The Future - both with extensive experience in Japan, and supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL, five Dutch designers visited Osaka. Anouk Beckers, Chenda Fekkes, Denzel Veerkamp, Michèle Boulogne, and Yamuna Forzani explored sustainable fashion and textiles, building on this experience while connecting with local studios, peers, and innovators.

The open-ended nature of the trip emphasised relationship-building over immediate results, creating a fertile ground for future collaboration. Konno reflected: “Once a first connection is made, a sense of commonality between creatives is always more present than differences. It is clear to say that this trip has opened doors for everyone involved.” By nurturing exchange around sustainability, cultural identity, and inclusive design, the research trip exemplifies how the cultural programme extends beyond exhibitions and performances to practical, ongoing collaboration.

Every aspect of Activating Common Ground reflects the spirit of reciprocity that has characterised the relations between the Netherlands and Japan for centuries. Rather than presenting culture as a one-way exchange, the programme embraces shared learning, mutual inspiration, and collective storytelling. This ethos also aligns closely with Expo 2025’s global agenda, looking forward and towards the future prospect, just as the curatorial team elaborates: