My name is Spinoza was conceived by the Amsterdamse Spinoza Kring and developed by SKOR (Foundation for Art and Public Space). In the capital, Spinoza is increasingly receiving the recognition he deserves as one of the founders of liberal values. with which the capital defines itself. Despite being one of the founders of the liberal values with which the capital defines itself, few tributes to Spinoza can be found in Amsterdam. Rather than a single monumental work of art, it was decided that a versatile, multi-faceted monument in the form of a manifestation would be a more fitting memorial. My name is Spinoza is also the first step towards setting up a Spinoza visitor centre where the art works and registrations of the debates and performances will be held and offer an international public a chance to consider Spinoza’s tenets from fresh perspectives.
On the 8th of May 2009 the official opening of the manifestation was held at Mediamatic Bank, with presentations by Spinoza experts, Caroline Gehrels and a performance by Natalia Dominguez Rangel. Artist Thomas Hirschhorn already started his Bijlmer Spinoza-Festival on the 2nd of May.