Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum has announced bold plans to open a new contemporary art location in 2017, repositioning the Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (SMBA) project space in the heart of the city.

Stedelijk director Beatrix Ruf highlights the changes that have swept the art world in recent years as the catalyst for reconsidering the position of SMBA.

According to Ruf, the move is a response to the redrawing of boundaries that is taking place as digital developments, globalization, and the participation of makers and visitors become an even more vital part of the art world.

“To enhance the contemporary art world, in which independent presentation institutes are facing challenges, we aim to provide an answer to what is currently lacking, and needed, in the city,” said Ruf.

“When SMBA was launched over twenty years ago, emerging artists had few opportunities to present their work in Amsterdam. Now, that’s no longer the case. Contemporary issues and ideas are central to the activities and thinking of the Stedelijk Museum.”

SMBA was established in 1993 on the Rozenstraat, as an exhibition space specifically for artists in Amsterdam and as a platform for young talent.

SMBA’s program will continue to run until 2016. Next year, the search for a new location begins, with an opening scheduled for 2017.