The project “State of the City” focuses on the complex relationship between trade and sociocultural contexts in the cities of Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Frankfurt am Main. Common to all three cities is their important role in global trade: Antwerp and Rotterdam possess world harbors; the European Central Bank and a major airport are situated in Frankfurt am Main. Preparation for the exhibition “State of the City” took the form of three-month residencies, with two artists chosen from each of Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Frankfurt am Main working creatively on site in one of the other cities.