For the second time Maya Feliksdal and Cindy Nuboer welcomed guests to take a look at ‘Kunst in de tuin‘ [Art in the garden]. Last year’s exhibition had been a success, and this time it was no different. Exhibiting art shouldn’t necessarily always involve a gallery with neutral walls. During the last two or three years Suriname had shown that it’s artists but also the art loving audience is ready for a more adventurous way to enjoy art.

Roshan Mahabir, untitled / USD 1750 | PHOTO Marieke VIsser, 2012

Roshan Mahabir, Vijf vrouwen [Five women], USD 1300 | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2012

August Bohé and Roshan Mahabir in the garden | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2012

A very enjoyable afternoon, beautiful art in a small garden of Eden … And the sweet taste of Tan Bun chocolate!

Me enjoying – on behalf of all Sranan Art readers – a cocoa bonbon made by Ellen Ligteringen | PHOTO Michael Hermelijn, 2012

Artwork of Surinamese visual artist George Struikelblok is currently included in an art exhibition of the IDB Cultural Center in Washington DC in the USA. This exhibition of art from the art collection of the IDB features work from major artists from Latin America and the Caribbean, including George Struikelblok. With the exhibition Art in Society: The Power of Culture, the IDB celebrates the 20th anniversary of the IDB Cultural Center. The exhibition is open from August 1 to September 28, from Monday thru Friday, 11 am-6 pm in the IDB Cultural Center Gallery, 1300 NY Avenue NW, Washington DC, USA. The flyer for the exhibition can be downloaded here.

Invitation ‘Art in Society. The Power of Culture’

Not only is this early work, ‘I miss you’, from 1999, by George Struikelblok featured in the exhibition, it is also purchased by the IDB for their collection. It is the first Surinamese work ever bought by the IDB.

George Struikelblok, ‘I miss you’, oil & acrylic paint on canvas, 210x150cm, 1999 | PHOTO Collection George Struikelblok

The IDB Cultural Center has an excellent reputation for high caliber art exhibitions in the Washington, DC metro area as well as internationally, having won the 2010 Washington, DC Mayor’s Award for Visionary Leadership in the Arts.

Established in 1992, the IDB Cultural Center and has two primary objectives:

1) contribute to social development by providing grants to small-scale cultural projects that have positive social impact in the Region

2) showcase the artistic expressions of the IDB member countries, with emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean, through cultural programs that bring understanding between the Region and the rest of the world

The IDB Cultural Center Exhibitions Program and the Inter-American Concert, Lecture and Film Series stimulate dialogue and offer greater knowledge of the creativity of the Americas.  The Cultural Development Program funds projects for technical training, revival of cultural heritage and community values, and supports artistic initiatives. The IDB Art Collection, acquired over five decades, is managed by the Cultural Center and embodies the Bank’s mission to invest in the Region’s artists; and travelling exhibitions promote diversity and integration among nations.

During the period June 20-August 11, 2012, two Dutch artists, Wim Vonk and Marja van Putten from Amsterdam, and one artist from Suriname, Isidoor Wens, living and working in Den Bosch (NL), have worked in Botopasi, Sipaliwini, Suriname. They stayed at the ARTCEB artist residency in Botopasi, one of the African diaspora villages of the Saramaccan population in Suriname. This Maroon village is located at the Suriname river at the edge of the Amazon tropical rain forest.

ARTCEB Residency in Botopasi | PHOTO ARTCEB, 2012

The result of their residency will be exhibited in the Surinaams Museum, Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo, Suriname, from Thursday 16-Sunday, August 19, 2012.

Wim Vonk will present PTJIN FOWRU: little birds and strange insects of the Botopasi area (installation & works on paper).

Wim Vonk, ptjin fowru, 2012 | PHOTO ARTCEB, 2012

Marja van Putten shows paintings and drawings under the name COLOURED FOREST.

Marja van Putten, Color Forest 2, 2012 | PHOTO ARTCEB, 2012

And Isidore Wens part is named: CARRIERS – Examining the void wherein the Lays Replace existing foundation of the present ….

Isidoor Wens, title unknown, 2012 | PHOTO ARTCEB, 2012

Isidoor Wens established this artist-in-residency in his native village, and this was the second time people came to Botopasi. For the remote village of a great opportunity to come into contact with contemporary art and working together with the artists.

For the two Dutch artists, Wim Vonk and Marja van Putten it was a great experience  to live and work for two months in this isolated Maroon village. The unfamiliar culture, the everyday life with the inhabitants of the village, the overwhelming presence of the forest, the daily rhythm in the heat, the rain, the rising water of the river, all these elements made this a unique experience.

For Isidoor Wens it was also a return to his youth, although more than once it was proved that the days of long gone by are gone and no longer exist as such. This ‘lost time’ echoes in the stories Isidoor tells daily. He mourns and he observes and tries to communicate his feelings with his work. He talks about ‘being lost’ in his own village, between his own perceptions and local reality.

+++

Invitation

What:  Art Botopasi. Three artists who have just fnished an ARTCEB residency in Botopasi will show the results. Wim Vonk will present PTJIN FOWRU: little birds and strange insects of the Botopasi area (installation & works on paper). Marja van Putten shows paintings and drawings under the name COLOURED FOREST. And Isidoor Wens part is named: CARRIERS - Examining the void wherein the Lays Replace existing foundation of the present ….

When: August 17-19, 2012, 09:00-12:00 & 13:00-17:00. Official opening Thursday, August 16 at 19:00

Where: Surinaams Museum, Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo, Suriname

More background information and pictures are on the project’s weblog: www.botopasi.arttrust.nl

An exhibition preceded by 8 years of research, in which 3 American museums collaborated, that covers over 200 years of Caribbean art and displays 550 works of art, should be expected to deliver a good result.

Rigaud Benoit (Haiti, 1911-1986), Sea Goddess/Sirene, 1962, El Museo del Barrio, Gift | ©El Museo del Barrio, Manhattan, 2012

Why then is Caribbean: Crossroads of the World still a failed project?

It sounds cynical, but for exactly the same reasons that it could have been a good project. A significant part of the 8 years of research got lost due to internal bickering. About assumptions, principles, but also about competencies. The initiating museum, El Museo del Barrio, is simply without the means and the manpower necessary to support such a project.  The Studio Museum is a good, but also stubborn and ambitious museum that knows how it should be done and will not be dictated by others. The Queens Museum is a museum without a face, with a vacillating policy and a visible lack of money. Incidentally, all three museums are located in New York.

Opting for 200 years of Caribbean art is in itself logical – the independence of Haiti in 1804 is a natural point of departure – but it is also an extensive, perhaps too extensive period. And after all, if you decide to show 550 pieces, it is unavoidable that in certain cases the quality will be somewhat under par.

A visitor looking at one of the many works of art | ©El Museo del Barrio, Manhattan, 2012

From the basic principle of Crossroads it is determinable that it is a project of compromises. It endeavors to show work of Caribbean artists, living in their homeland or not. Aside from that it aims to provide a picture of the Caribbean, thus it includes also artworks of Paul Gauguin. The relationship between New York and the Caribbean should be illustrated. That explains the presence of true Americans such as Jacob Lawrence and Chris López. By considering the Caribbean as a ‘flexible’ unit, all other doubtful cases should also be entitled to have their say.

In short: everything is allowed and everything is possible in order to keep all organizers on board. That the public has no understanding whatsoever of such politically motivated assumptions, is apparently of no concern.

The same applies to the selected artists. Those among the somewhat adept, constantly wonder: why her/him and not him/her. Translated to the Surinamese artists: why for example Soeki Irodikromo and not Remy Jungerman, while they should both have been included. A comparable question arises with regards to the selections made within an oeuvre. Why a small photographic work of Patricia Kaersenhout, when she has made much better drawings. Because it could be submitted cheaper, digitally?  Why that particular painting of Marcel Pinas, while he has made better paintings, drawings and installations.  Because it was already part of a collection in New York? Conveniently close by? Such ‘practices’ greatly diminish the level of confidence that the viewer has in the reliability and the expertise of the curators.  That distrust is further reinforced by various careless inconsistencies: in the publication Charles Eyck one page states that he was born in the Netherlands, and yet another page, Curacao; at one drawing the nametag mentions that it was made by the artist 3 years after his death etc. etc.

Patricia Kaersenhout (Netherlands, 1966), The Girl with the Pearl Earring, 2010, photographic print, 36 x 30 cm, courtesy of the artist | ©El Museo del Barrio, Manhattan, 2012

The largest error however, is the presentation. The choice fell on a type of ‘salon décor’. So all the works are close to, above, under and mixed up amongst each other. Nice and full. From the floor up to the ceiling. There is no obvious reason for this. It is however a clear slap in the face to the visitor. Many people are not or hardly informed about Caribbean art. This makes such exhibitions all the more important. It is therefore extremely important to create conditions which allow visitors to look at everything in relative peace, to allow them the opportunity to search for and place links, to compare eras etc. At such a presentation that is absolutely impossible. As a fellow visitor expressed in despair: “It drives you nuts”.

Who More Sci-Fi Than Us, contemporary art from the Caribbean in Kunsthal Kade in Amersfoort, the Netherlands was less ambitiously, but more intelligently, set up. In that (already ended) exhibition they opted for contemporary art from the Caribbean (that part was incidentally largely lacking in New York). In this one there was also a much greater emphasis on quality. Still, also regarding this exhibition some comments can be made. I had hoped for a more surprising selection. I already knew some of the works from other exhibitions (the Havana Biennial, exhibitions in other museums in New York, but also in Amsterdam). Another part was indeed new, in some cases made especially for the occasion, but even then from the obvious names. Why not choose for talents such as Jabu Arnell of St. Maarten? To give a random example. A safe choice is in and of itself no problem, and I occasionally enjoy seeing certain works of art a few times, but my preference goes out to a bit more risk. More confusing was the rather pretentious title of the exhibition. In it a link was suggested with science fiction and surrealism – the title is a quote from writer Junot Diaz – while in the majority of the works this relationship was sorely lacking. What is sci-fi about an animation of Sheena Rose who portrays her daily life in Barbados? What is sci-fi about the work of Renee Cox that deals with the representation of the black (American) woman?  The exhibition did not need any such a slant given to it. The works speak convincingly for themselves; they did not have to speak through a concept imposed upon them by the curator.

Crossroads is a missed opportunity. That project confirms many of the prejudices that the average visitor has concerning Caribbean art. Typical qualifications such as sloppy, traditional and awkward. That lays to blame to the creators. Sci-Fi will stay with me longer. It also gave a good impression of the urgency with which Caribbean art is made and of the high quality of that art.  At both exhibitions by the way, the expectation of large amounts of visitors was far from realized.  Disappointing.

Who More Sci-Fi Than Us was on display from May 26^th thru August 26^th, 2012, at Kunsthal Kade in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.

Crossroads is still showing until October 21^st, 2012, in the Studio Museum in Harlem, until the 6^th of January, 2013, in El Museo del Bario in Manhattan and the Queens Museum in Queens, NY, all in the USA.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Paris, France, August 2012

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld

Digital art magazine Sranan Art Xposed appears three to four times a year. Through it SAX aims to increase awareness on Surinamese art, but also tries to keep track of, and add more depth to our dynamic art world. Because our corresponding blog  is in English, important contributions will from time to time also appear in the Surinamese newspaper de Ware Tijd.

Rob Perrée is art historian, freelance writer and exhibition maker, editor of Kunstbeeld and of Sranan Art Xposed. Perrée was also a contributor to the book Marcel Pinas. Artist, more than an artist. He lives and works in Amsterdam and Brooklyn.

Some interesting websites:

Who More Sci-Fi Than Us

http://www.whomorescifithanus.nl/

http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=55654#.UF4GfLJlRq0

http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2012/05/wendell-mcshine-studio-visit-at-the-kade-kunsthal-for-who-more-sci-fi-than-us/

http://blog.uprising-art.com/exclusive-interview-tirzo-martha/?lang=en

Crossroads

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/whatson/event/Caribbean:-Crossroads-of-the-World/1123190

http://cuarts.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/caribbean-crossroads-of-the-world-part-1-el-museo-del-barrio/

http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2012/07/art-caribbean-crossroads-of-the-world-exhibitions/

http://afroeurope.blogspot.com/2012/05/ny-exhibit-caribbean-crossroads-of.html

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/art/caribbean-crossroads-of-the-world-museo-del-barrio

http://repeatingislands.com/2009/06/01/art-caribbean-crossroads-of-the-world/

http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2012/7/2012_06_27_sub_caribbean_crossroads.html

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/06/15/arts/design/20120615-CARIBBEAN.html?nl=nyregion

http://www.aruba.com/news/arts-culture/aruban-artists-shine-in-new-york%E2%80%99s-art-exhibition/

http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2012/02/caribbean-brunch-and-open-house-to-support-caribbean-crossroads-of-the-world/

With all governments and institutions making drastic cutbacks when it comes to financing cultural projects, different ways of making art related projects possible had to be found. A new strategy to obtain resources is ‘crowd funding’.

Wikipedia’s definition: “Crowd funding or crowdfunding (alternately crowd financing, equity crowdfunding or hyper funding) describes the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their resources, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. Crowd funding is used in support of a wide variety of activities, including disaster relief, citizen journalism, support of artists by fans, political campaigns, startup company funding, movie or free software development, and scientific research.”

One project which will be at least partially made possible through crowd funding. This is the book ego documenta, about Felix de Rooy and edited by Barbara Martijn & Felix de Rooy, published by KIT Publishers. A preview of this extraordinary book can be found on this KIT Publishers-page too. To finish the book, another Euro 10,000 is needed. Via website Voordekunst people can donate and make this book reality. Felix de Rooy’s book is on this page. A video with Felix de Rooy sending a message can be seen on this page too. At the time of writing this blog post 14% of the estimated necessary funding has been donated: Euro 1,490. There are 21 days left. So Sranan Art readers, make it happen!

A fragment from the description of ego documenta on the publisher’s website:

“In my bloodstream collide Amazon Indians, Africans enslaved, slave masters and abolitionists from the Netherlands, Germany, France and persecuted Jews from Portugal. My spirit has traveled beyond battlefields of racial and cultural confrontation. Molded by generations of male sperm invading female egg cells I was fertilized, nurtured, full grown, squeezed, pushed out and given birth, a fresh nomad in no man’s land.”

From Friday November 16 till Thursday December 1, 2012, one can visit the solo exposition of the established artist Anand Binda. The expo is held at the Royal House of Art gallery at the Royal Torarica hotel and carries the name The beauty in our lives. For this exhibition Binda selected 17 paintings, where nature is the main topic: trees, water sceneries and animals.

Anand Binda – title unknown, acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

In his work the artist captured the beauty of our surroundings. The splendour of nature, but also the beauty of magnificent moments from the present and the past. This includes a portrait of a girl, but also a painting of ‘Old Poelepantje’. This is the place where Binda spent his youth and with an impressive painting of 2 x 1.5 meters, he brings us back to the fifties of the last century. We see the Willem Campagneweg with little boats when it was not filled in yet and the characteristic water tower. It is the second time the artist paints this place, but this time he went about it with a very critical eye, with lots of attention for the construction of the buildings. Archive photo’s and memories were the basis for this painting. With this work Binda wants to bring this place back to life in all her beauty and relive his childhood memories.

Anand Binda – Klassieke dans [Classical dance], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

In 2008 Anand Binda also had an exhibition at the Royal House of Art gallery and then nature had a prominent place as well. For Binda nature remains a fascinating subject as it is in constant movement and therefore always original. “Nature is pure”, says the artist. “A tiger for example, only hunts for what he needs. It does not stash food and does not consume lavishly. A fruit trees is also dependable: mangoes do not suddenly change into oranges. It also keeps on renewing itself by giving new leaves. But people are more unreliable and do not always take good care of their surroundings; of nature. How long are we going to keep this up?”

Anand Binda – Waterpartij met lelies [Pond with lilies], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

Anand Binda – Portret met jong meisje [Portrait with young girl], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

The artist aims for personal growth. His vision is that human beings are being lent certain talents and that it is our duty to further develop this talent and to show this development to others. It is important to give back. As such the artist also participates in a benefit project of the Argentinean organisation Asociación de Artistas Plásticos Internacionales (ADAPI), where on the 9^th of this month works from various South American artist were sold for Mexican street children. Also this suits the philosophy of sharing through art. The artist feels blessed to be able to give back to society in this way.

Anand Binda – Landschap [Landscape], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

In the evenings and on Saturdays, visitors of the expo can exchange thoughts with the artist about his paintings and can let themselves be challenged by his work. What do his paintings evoke with the viewer? The core of Binda’s work is to be in harmony with the community and to share through art. That is what gives life its golden rim: its beauty.

Anand Binda – Oud Poelepantje [Oldenday Poelepantje], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

Anand Binda – Mens en dier [Man and animal], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

Anand Binda – title unknown, acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

Anand Binda – Puppy’s [Puppies], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012

What: The beauty in our lives, solo exhibition by Anand Binda

When: November 16-December 1, 2012. Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 10:00-15:00 hrs, Saturday: 10:00-13:00 hrs, Wednesday- Friday- Saturday: 19:00-21:00 hrs

Where: Royal House of Art, Royal Torarica, Paramaribo

Please also take a look at another previous Sranan Art blogpost about Anand Binda.

TEXT ©Sranan Art/Vanda Koorndijk-Kernizan, 2012

PHOTOGRAPHY Anand Binda, 2012

Den Haag kent de grootste Hindostaanse populatie van Nederland en zelfs van het Europese vasteland. In één van de bekendste expositieruimten van de stad, het fraaie 18de- en 19de- eeuwse pand van kunstenaarsvereniging Pulchri Studio, wordt kunst getoond van Surinaams-Hindoestaanse en Haagse kunstenaars. Divers werk van Glenn Kallasingh, Henk Janmohamed, Surender Kisoentewari, Rik van Hazendonk, Rinus Groenendaal en Riëlle Beekmans geeft het publiek een originele visie op de thematiek van Divali, het hindoe lichtjesfeest.

Surender Kisoentewari – ‘Divalivangoli’, primer/linnen, 2012 | FOTO Dan Dickhof, 2012

Rinus Groenendaal – ‘Moksha’, gem. techniek/paneel, 2012 | FOTO Dan Dickhof, 2012

De expositie is uniek, omdat dit de eerste keer is dat het Sarnámi Huis (het Hindostaans museum), het Haags Historisch Museum, Pulchri Studio en Sociëteit de Waterkant (een culturele vereniging met bij Suriname betrokken leden) samenwerken aan de publieke viering van Divali. De gemeente Den Haag stelt zich kandidaat voor culturele hoofdstad van Europa in 2018 en ook daarom wil de stad steeds meer aandacht schenken aan belangrijke subculturen van de stad, zoals die van de Hindostanen.

Pulchri-voorzitter Siebrand Weitenberg sprak bij de opening over het feit dat het lang niet voor iedereen vanzelfsprekend is om de chique ogende Pulchri-galeries te bezoeken, maar dat “Pulchri geen club van navelstaarders is die op elitaire wijze met kunst bezig is, maar verbinding wil maken met de stad en haar bewoners.” Ook de wethouder Norder onderstreepte het belang van de Surinaamse gemeenschap voor de stad en haar cultuur, en de essentie van het samenleven en door het samen vieren van Divali. Beiden wezen er op dat deze expositie het begin vormt van het plan om in de komende jaren meer aandacht te schenken aan allerlei vormen van cultuuruitingen van de Haagse gemeenschappen.

De intieme Tuingalerie doet de twaalf werken goed uitkomen. Het zijn voornamelijk schilderijen in en eventuele combinatie van gemengde technieken en een enkele groep sculpturen. Opvallende stukken waren de schilderijtjes in gemengde technieken van Groenendaal. Tekenachtig, fragiel en in dunne laagjes opgebouwd. Het lijkt heel direct te zijn opgezet. Het intieme werkje ‘Moksha’ zou de verbeelding meer hebben kunnen prikkelen als de kunstenaar niet de beschouwer de kans had ontnomen tot een eigen interpretatie te komen.  Door er ‘licht, licht, licht’ bij te hebben geschreven, werd het stuk te letterlijk en verdween de poëzie.

Interessant is het met grote ronde bewegingen neergezette abstracte schilderij van Surender Kisoentewari. In de omgeving van de andere stukken krijgt het iets monumentaals. Net als Groenendaal heeft ook hij, zij het bijna onzichtbaar, in de rechterbovenhoek een tekst ‘divalivangoli’ (vrij vertaald; verschillende lichtjes die samen een geheel vormen) geschreven. Het is niet meer dan een kleine notitie, een titel, losjes neergezet, maar anders dan bij Groenendaal stoort het niet. Het haalt de fantasie niet onderuit, het werk blijft staan, ook buiten de context van deze speciale Divali-expositie. De witte cirkels zijn snel en ritmisch weergegeven, het dansen van het kaarslicht, zoals je dat ziet wanneer je je ogen bijna dichtknijpt.

De expositie Divali is nog t/m zondag 30 november gratis te bezoeken in Pulchri Studio, Lange Voorhout 15, Den Haag.

Meer informatie op de website van Pulchri.

TEKST Dan Dickhof, november 2012

Dan Dickhof schrijft over oude, moderne en hedendaagse kunst voor verschillende media –onder meer 8WEEKLY, kM en Atelier, werkte in het veilingwezen en helpt mee met het samenstellen van exposities. Hij studeerde aan de kunstacademie in Den Haag en werkt zelf als jonge kunstenaar. Momenteel studeert hij nog kunstgeschiedenis aan de Universiteit Leiden.

The Hague has the largest Hindustani population of any city in the Netherlands and even the European continent. In one of the most famous exhibition spaces in the city, the beautiful 18^th and 19^th century building of the artist’s association Pulchri Studio, art from Surinamese Hindustani artists and artists from The Hague is shown. Diverse works of art from Glenn Kallasingh, Henk Janmohamed, Surender Kisoentewari, Rik van Hazendonk, Rinus Groenendaal and Riëlle Beekmans, offer the public a unique view of the theme of Divali, the Hindu celebration of lights.

Rinus Groenendaal – ‘Moksha’, mixed media/board, 2012 | PHOTO Dan Dickhof, 2012

Surender Kisoentewari – ‘Divalivangoli’, primer/linen, 2012 | PHOTO Dan Dickhof, 2012

The exhibition is unique, since this is the first time that the Sarnámi Huis (the Hindustani museum), the Haags Historisch Museum, Pulchri Studio and Sociëteit de Waterkant (a cultural association with members involved with Suriname) work together on a public celebration of Divali. The city of The Hague has volunteered itself as a candidate for cultural capital of Europe in 2018 and that is why the city wants to give more and more attention to the important subcultures of the city, such as the Hindustani.

At the opening Pulchri-chairman Siebrand Weitenberg spoke about the fact that for many visiting the chic looking Pulchri-galleries does not come naturally, but that “Pulchri is not a club of egocentrics who are involved with art in an elite fashion, but one that is seeking to connect with the city and its inhabitants.” Councilor Norder also underlined the importance of the Surinamese community for the city and its culture, and the essence of living together and by celebrating Divali together. Both pointed out that this exhibition signals the start of a plan to increasingly highlight the different expressions of culture in the community of The Hague in the coming years.

The intimate garden gallery does the twelve works justice. They are mostly paintings, occasionally in combination with mixed media, and one group of sculptures. Striking pieces were the mixed media paintings by Groenendaal. Like drawings, fragile and built up in thin layers. It seems to be set up very purposefully. The intimate work ‘Moksha’ would have been better capable of triggering the imagination if the artist had not deprived the viewers of the chance to come to their own interpretation. By writing ‘licht, licht, licht’ (light, light, light) on it, the piece became too literal and the poetry was lost.

Interesting is the abstract painting composed of large circular movements by Surender Kisoentewari. In the vicinity of the other paintings it appears somewhat monumental. Just like Groenendaal he has written, although almost invisible in the upper right corner, a text ‘divalivangoli’ (freely translated: multiple lights which together form a whole). It is no more than a small note, a title, randomly applied, but other than in Groenendaals work, it is not disturbing. It does not take anything away from the fantasy; the work remains relevant, even outside of the context of this special Divali-exhibition. The white circles are portrayed as a fast and rhythmic pattern, just like the dancing of the candlelight, as you see it when you squeeze your eyes almost shut.

The exhibition Divali is open to the public (free of charge) up until Sunday the 30^th of November in Pulchri Studio, Lange Voorhout 15, The Hague.

More information: http://www.pulchri.nl/tentoonstellingen/den-haag-viert-divali

TEXT Dan Dickhof, November 2012

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels- Relyveld, 2012

Dan Dickhof writes about old, modern and contemporary art for various media –such as 8WEEKLY, kM  and Atelier, worked in auctions and assists in putting together exhibitions. He studied at the kunstacademie in The Hague and also works as young artist. He is currently still studying art history at Leiden University.

Still two days left to visit the Artmarket 2012! For the third year in a row a group of artists, creative people, great chefs and other lovers have organized this great event in De Hal. The vibe is 100% good! Check it out … 

When: December 7,8 & 9, 2012, open: 17:00-23:00 hrs

Where: De Hal, Grote Combéweg 45, Paramaribo

Artmarket 2012. Art2Shoot | PHOTO ©Karin Lachmising, 2012

Artmarket 2012. The UNDP project, making art from garbage | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Origami | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Origami | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Origami, detail | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Origami, detail | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Origami | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Atelier Folo/Debora Linga | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Atelier Folo/Debora Linga | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Pierre Bong A Jan | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Dakaya Lenz | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Shaundell Horton | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012 | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Karin Lachmising tasting her cocoa tea, made by Tan Bun skrati | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Ellen Ligteringen from Tan Bun skrati | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012 | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012 | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012 | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. A visitor on the left, Jantine van der Driest, organzizer on the right | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. A visitor on the left, Jantine van der Driest, organzizer on the right | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Jewlry by Warda Marica | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Also a good place for unique Christmas decorations | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012 | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012 | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. By Kim Sontosoemarto | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. By Kim Sontosoemarto | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. By Kim Sontosoemarto | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. By Kim Sontosoemarto | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Figurine by Kim Sontosoemarto | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Basket made from recycled plastic bags for UNDP project | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Basket made from recycled plastic bags | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Artmarket 2012. Sirano Zalman editing an Art2Shoot picture | PHOTO ©Marieke Visser, 2012

Remarkable activities during the National Art Fair 2012 (October 26-November 3, 2012, Paramaribo) were Art in Process (the art loving visitors could follow the coming about of works of art) and the series of Artist Talks with powerpoint presentations of art topics and additional dialogue. Marcel Pinas held a presentation entitled ‘Moengo Art district’. The activities were coordinated by the FVAS (also to be found on Facebook. Vanda Koorndijk-Kernizan visited Pinas’ presentation.

Marcel Pinas during his presentation | PHOTO Vanda Koorndijk-Kernizan, 2012

Marcel Pinas during his presentation | PHOTO Vanda Koorndijk-Kernizan, 2012

The National Art Fair 2012 Tuesday October 30^th at 19:30 hours: artist Marcel Pinas starts his PowerPoint presentation with a slide showing the text ‘Kibri a kulturu’. This is the start of an inspiring story about the development of Moengo as an art district. In chronological order the visual artist takes us on his journey as an artist and unveils how his view on art has developed. Indignant and even still shocked he tells about how he arrived in Paramaribo from the district Marowijne as a 15 year old boy and was confronted with expressions like “You are as dumb as a Ndyuka”. Maroon people were looked down upon. Along the years Pinas is more and more convinced that this mentality is disastrous for whole generations of young people originating from the hinterland. He knows the power of thoughts and words: if it is the general tendency to talk negatively about the Ndyuka culture, then more and more Ndyuka’s will develop low self-esteem or show undesired behavior as is ‘expected’ from them. “And that does not do justice to our brave and strong ancestors”, says Pinas. This is why elements from the Ndyuka culture have increasingly become part of his work; his culture is something to be proud of.

The use of Afaka signs (a script developed by the maroon Afaka) is a very characteristic aspect of Pinas’ objects of art and also his installations with shiny pots and spoons from the maroon kitchen are very famous. The message that one should be proud of its own culture and particularly should preserve it, is what Pinas wants to pass on to as many people as possible. He wants to reach the whole community. As he says himself: “ I don’t reach the people from Pontbuiten (working-class area, SAX) through a painting at Readytex Art Gallery (upscale art gallery, SAX ).” This is how the art installations came about such as the well-known kokolampu’s in front of Fort Zeelandia and the totem pole monument Kibi Wi Totem. Enthusiastically Marcel shows pictures of the totem pole project where he worked together with deaf and hard of hearing children from the Kennedyschool. He emphasizes how special it is when children see ‘their work of art’ in the newspaper. They have done something that is being remarked and receives positive attention. This positive experience is what he wants to pass on to all youngsters in Suriname, but especially in Moengo and surroundings.

That he takes this very seriously is supported by the following slides that accompany his story about art and education projects in Moengo and surrounding villages. Together with colleague artist Ken Doorson he developed initiatives in Moengo which resulted in among others the Tembe Art Studio, where art, dance and music lessons for the youth are given, art installations from various (international) artists which can be found throughout the whole village, training centers for the youth in surrounding villages, a museum for contemporary art and a restaurant. That the latter is a very important aspect becomes clear when listening to the personal stories of Marcel and Ken’s ‘hardships’ in the preparation phase of this developing project. The artists visited Moengo weekly to prepare matters and start things up, but it was not easy to get a meal in the village or to spend the night. And if you have in mind to eventually invite other artists to the region, the least you will have to offer them is a decent meal! Now there is a nice restaurant that has been built with the assistance of local inhabitant and where about eight ladies are responsible for the preparation of tasty dishes: Masanga.

Marcel shares his view on involving other people in his work with the audience. To really turn Moengo into an art district, it is important to let people have their own input and let them profit from the development. When you are invited to brainstorm about and work on something, it becomes your own and turns into something you can be proud of. Marcel seeks to enable adults and children to say: “ Hey, I can do this!”. And these talents can be very diverse: dancing, making music, painting, woodcarving, showing hospitality towards others, navigating a boat, being a good story teller or a good cook. Stimulate others to discover their talents and to develop them, that is the goal. “This is exactly how I see art and how I want to use art”, says Pinas. “Art for development, art in the quest of one’s own identity.”

The artist tells his story with a lot of passion and vision and receives ample appreciation for this at the end of his presentation. The artist is sounded out about holding this presentation for students of the art academies, so that also they can be fed with his positive vibe. Another listener goes even a bit further and proposes to organize the National Art  Fair in Moengo in the future and in this way ‘map’ this town on the art list. An artist who is very occupied with the painting of a wooden doll next to the presentation adds: “Yes, and then we’ll first have the Art Fair in Moengo and only then in Paramaribo!”

It seems the audience is open to developing Moengo into an art district. To be continued!

TEXT/PHOTO’S Vanda Koorndijk-Kernizan

Vanda Koorndijk-Kernizan is a social marketeer and member of the editorial staff of the Surinamese parenting magazine KidzTori. As a freelance writer for Sranan Art Xposed she combines her recently discovered passion for writing with her interest in art and culture. She lives and works in Suriname since end 2003.

Twenty years ago Moengo, a town in the east of Suriname, was hit by a bloody civil war. Up until now it still has to contend with the aftermath. An art project in which now also Koen Vanmechelen, known for his Cosmopolitan Chicken Project, has become involved, has to bring the town back to life again. “Art can radically change a place.”

Koen Vanmechelen in Moengo | PHOTO Pieter Van Maele, 2012

Marcel Pinas and Koen Vanmechelen in Moengo | PHOTO Pieter Van Maele, 2012

A big chicken village, surrounded by Surinamese jungle. With on one side an unimaginative aviary full of imported American chickens who lay eggs ceaselessly, but where no rooster can be found –symbol of sterility. Beside it a frivolous cage, made from traditional Surinamese wood carving, with chickens originating from the entire country and a rooster. Symbol of fertility and the Surinamese cultural diversity. In the centre of the installation a big nest, made from aluminum and with porcelain eggs. Around the village grain is cultivated and solar energy is being produced to supply for its own needs.

If it is up to Koen Vanmechelen (47), shortly a brand-new installation from his making will arise in Moengo, a small town a hundred kilometers east of the Surinamese capital Paramaribo, home to about 8000 people. Most of them are maroons, descendants from slaves who fled from the harsh plantation life and started a new life in the jungle.

Identity crisis

Moengo resurrected from the jungle at the beginning of last century after bauxite had been discovered there, the raw material for aluminum. The American multinational Alcoa established itself in the area, and it soon became one of the crown jewels of the company. During World War II bauxite from unoccupied Suriname was even crucial for the Allied weapon industry. A luxurious staff village was built, together with a theater, a swimming pool and even a sloping golf course.  However, in 1986 Suriname was confronted with a civil war, which resulted in a shutdown of the bauxite production in Moengo. After that it all deteriorated rapidly. When the clash of arms ended in 1992, the luxurious glory of past times was nowhere to be found. Bodies of murdered villagers floated in the swimming pool, the theatre was closed and was ruined by squatters over the years, and the continuously spreading jungle took over the golf course again. A flight of refugees to both Paramaribo and the eastern neighbor French-Guyana turned the town and surrounding villages in quasi ghost towns.

Vanmechelen stayed in the former Dutch colony till December 22, a prospecting trip to plan a successful rise of his chicken village for the future. It is meant to be one of the centerpieces in 2015, when Moengo will have the first art biennale in Suriname ever. Initiator is visual artist Marcel Pinas (41), born in the Moengo area, who tries to bring the town back to life through art. After a local art education Pinas received a scholarship in 1997 from the government at that time, to study visual arts in Jamaica. “There I was asked for the first time what I wanted to achieve. Well, I want my people to be proud of themselves again. I want to give them back their identity. Initially my works were exhibited in a gallery, but I did not reach the masses in this way. Now my art can be found throughout the village.”

Cheerless situation

Pinas’ international art park, which will also include Vanmechelen’s chicken village, is beginning to take shape. Several works from Dutch, Surinamese and Caribbean artists already adorn the roadsides and squares of the bauxite town. In the middle of Moengo you find the Tembe Art Studio, named after the traditional Surinamese painting and woodcarving style with characteristic colorful geometrical shapes.  At the studio youngsters can not only follow workshops, but they also get acquainted with theater, music and dance. A little bit outside the town centre the former Alcoa supermarket [The CAMM building previously was used  by the Energy Company Suriname. The EBS generously let Marcel Pinas establish the museum here, SAX] is home to the Contemporary Art Museum Moengo. The temporary collection with several works of Pinas creates a good impression of his oeuvre.  He succeeds to uplift century old maroon art forms and everyday items like shopping bags, spoons and cooking pots as an indictment of war, the attitude of multinationals in developing countries and the discrimination of tribal people. Pinas was invited to Brussels by the VUB (University of Brussels) beginning of this year (2012, VKK), where he met Koen Vanmechelen at a lecture. “I was invited to that lecture because I am active in a lot of countries for the Cosmopolitan Chicken Project, the project for which I crossbreed chickens from all over the world. After that Marcel visited my studio in Hasselt. We started to talk and there was an instant connection”, says Vanmechelen. The Limburg resident on his turn now visits Suriname. Pinas did not only show him Moengo, which is carefully scrambling to its feet, but in search of inspiration and ideas they also went down the Cottica river in boat made from a hollowed out tree trunk.

It is not always the most cheerful site of the country, considering the sometimes dreary situation many villages hit by the civil war are still in. Some are totally deserted, in others only elderly people still live. There are no jobs, so young people choose to flee to the capital or the goldfields. However, Vanmechelen does not become disheartened. On the contrary. “There are few countries in this world with as much potency as Suriname, a country where African, Indian, Indonesian and Indigenous cultures are so close together. This country could be a fantastic model for the world, the example of a place with a strong balance between nature and culture. I agree, the recovery of this former battle zone goes exasperatingly slow. However, you also feel that this can be bent around in a snip. Art has the power to transform a place at one go. Subsequently the economy will follow. A project like this is much more sustainable than just bringing in a big bag of cash.”

And this, meaning generating an economic spin-off through art, is precisely what Pinas focuses on. “Next to my museum there will soon be two rehearsal rooms. Local musicians will receive studio time every year to record an album. In return I ask these groups to perform three times a year at music festivals that I will organize, together with bands from Suriname, the Caribbean and Europe. People will come to Moengo from far, something that will be to the benefit of the entire community. People who come to listen to live music and look at art, also need a place to sleep, to eat and might also take trips to other villages in the neighborhood. People will come here again to spend money, just like in the old days.

Marcel Pinas’ ultimate goal is to turn Moengo into thé art city in Suriname. The ‘SuriFlemish’ artist duo already eagerly looks forward to 2015, when about thirty artists will descend to exhibit at the biennale. And already they dream out loud about having the opening at the Beatrix Theater that used to be Alcoa’s, but which at this moment is totally ruined. When the bauxite production stopped, it was taken over by a private owner. And this one now asks nothing less than a quarter of a million US dollars for the building, for Pinas an impossibly large amount. “But whether it is in the old theatre building or not, this initiative will not go down. Moengo will soon be the beating art heart of the Caribbean. Who hasn’t been to Moengo, will not have seen Suriname.

TEXT & PHOTOS Pieter Van Maele, 2012

TRANSLATION Vanda Koorndijk-Kernizan

Pieter Van Maele (1986) is correspondent in Paramaribo for amongst others the newspapers Algemeen Dagblad, Het Parool, De Morgen and Trouw. Together with Ivo Evers he wrote the book Bouterse aan de macht [Bouterse in power] that was published by De Bezige Bij in 2012.

This article was published earlier in Dutch in the Belgian newspaper De Morgen. De Morgen [The Morning] is a Flemish newspaper with a circulation of 53,860. It originates from a merger in 1978 of two socialist newspapers Vooruit [Onwards] and Volksgazet [People's Newspaper].

On the 22^nd of December, 2012, the fabulous book about artist Felix de Rooy, ego documenta, was presented in his presence in Garden of Eden, Paramaribo, Suriname. It is now for sale at Paramaribo’s renowned bookstores.  Garden of Eden will continue to show art of De Rooy. The book has already been presented in the Netherlands and also in Curacao. The Curacao presentation was documented in a video by Kirk Claes.

Recently there was also a beautiful exhibition in Galerie 23  in Amsterdam: Felix de Rooy – Schilderijen [Paintings]. Rob Perrée wrote about this exhibition, see below. In upcoming blog posts SAX will also feature a review of this exhibition and two book reviews. On the Sranan Art Flickr account please look forward to a slide show. 

Felix de Rooy (1952, Curacao) is difficult to pin point. Not just in a practical sense, because you never know in which part of the world he is– he actually lives in No Man’s Land–, but also artistically. He works in a variety of disciplines; disciplines that each have their own target audience, which require their own infrastructure and have their own codes and laws. He is artist, filmmaker, theatre-maker, theatre director, curator of exhibitions, collector, writer and poet. To him this is normal, because to him boundaries are meant to be lifted or changed. Regrettably though, the general public has a bit more difficulty with such a multifunctional personality. Preconditioned as it is, especially the ‘strict’ Dutch public, it is inclined to opt out at so much diversity.

Felix de Rooy, ‘Icarus’, spraypaint, acryl & oil, 110×220, 2008

The exhibition Felix de Rooy – Schilderijen [Paintings] recently in Galerie 23 in Amsterdam, in a certain sense gives in to this tendency by focusing primarily on the visual artist De Rooy. In another sense it convincingly makes clear, that opting out is basically the same thing as treating your love for art in an inferior way.

Felix de Rooy, ‘Las Tres Potencias’, mixed technique on linen, 220×130

Within the visual arts he practices various genres and works in different styles.  He makes drawings, watercolors, lithographs, paintings, tapestries and assemblages. The subject determines whether he chooses a romantic, a symbolic, a surrealistic or a more realistic style.

Felix de Rooy, ‘Forest Spirit’, mixed technique on linen, 220×130

His story seems rife with contrasts. His Caribbean origin – he describes himself as “heir of the colonial orgasm”, an “illegitimate bastard”, “a mongrel” – seems to hold the Dutch and the Western culture at a distance. Still he draws effortlessly from European imagery – from Aubrey Beardsley to Gustav Klimt to the early Piet Mondriaan to the Chris Ofili of later years– and combines this with the imagery of his ancestors. Greek myths such as ‘Icarus’ fuse effortlessly with catholic icons or symbols such as ‘Mother with Child’. The ‘Mad Messiah’ gets as much honor as ‘Inner Messiah’. ‘Wisdom’ and the ‘Wisdom of Madness’ don’t bite each other. Jesus or Buddha, there is no distinction between the two. His assemblages are built from historical and contemporary objects and materials. The emphasis on the physicality of (homosexual) man,  goes along with a tribute to, whether or not fed by traditions, spiritual life (for example the Surinamese winti religion or the Cuban Santeria). Love and death are not at odds with each other, but go through life more like partners. Pre-colonial and post-colonial times mingle with colonial times in which slavery and oppression dominate. The muse is equally important to De Rooy as the ego and the vanity. The tendency for destruction, the malice and the irony are in the end always incorporated in a romantic, dreamlike world. The rebel with the sharp tongue is at ease with the dreamer. Humor and seriousness do not struggle with each other, but alternate without any problems.

Felix de Rooy, ‘The Artist and his Muse’, mixed technique on linen, 130×220

Ultimately Felix de Rooy is a man with a mission. In the new book about his work – ego documenta – Jennifer Smit talks about this extensively. De Rooy consciously brings contrasts together because he is convinced that by doing so it becomes possible to take away the contrasts.  He firmly believes that different cultures can also be brought together. He does not ignore the differences, he points them out and names them, but he has a keen eye for the similarities. According to De Rooy everybody is multicultural.

Felix de Rooy, ‘River Spirit’, mixed technique on canvas, 130×220

Such a philosophy implicitly explains why he has to occupy himself with various disciplines and why, within those disciplines, he uses different styles. It also explains why he can’t be a citizen of one country, but is a citizen of the world. That he thus makes it hard to understand and admire his multifaceted work, is an inconvenient side effect.

Felix de Rooy | PHOTO Rob Moorees

TEXT Rob Perrée (New York, October 2012)

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld

The exhibition Felix de Rooy – Schilderijen was held from November 4-22, 2012, in Galerie 23, gallery for contemporary African Art, SBK Amsterdam, KNSM-laan 307-309, 1019 LE Amsterdam, the Netherlands, phone +31 (0)20-6201321. Contacts: Fons Geerlings & Priscilla Tosari.

Rob Perrée works as freelance writer, art critic and curator, specialized in contemporary (Afro-) American art, African art and art using new media. His work has appeared in countless catalogues, books, magazines and newspapers. He is editor of the Dutch art magazine Kunstbeeld.

Leonnie van Eert (Leende, Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands, 1961) was once again present at the Nationale Kunstbeurs 2012 [National Art Fair] with her ceramics.  As one of the regular participants of the last few years, hers is a booth that I am always looking forward to. As usual she exhibited a number of special pieces, all in her typical style.  No refined and polished ‘common’ work, but a bit ‘rough’, as though it comes straight from nature. Her theme for the NK 2012 was ‘the snake’. And although the work was quite striking, it did not attract any potential buyers.  Contrary to previous years, the ceramist sold nothing.

Leonnie van Eert, ‘Nyun libi’, 2012 | PHOTO Leonnie van Eert, 2012

Leonnie van Eert: “I did get a lot of reactions. A lot of students at the Nationale Kunstbeurs liked my work. That feels good. ‘It’s a bit different, it’s exciting!’ is something I heard for example. A number of colleagues said: ‘You have grown, you are more daring, and the work is nicely finished’. But people did keep asking: ‘Why did you choose for snakes?’”

Leonnie van Eert, ‘Sranan sneki’, 2012 | PHOTO Leonnie van Eert, 2012

In Suriname people generally have negative associations when it comes to snakes. Will she take this into account the next time she chooses a new theme? “No. I will stay true to my own process. I am not all of a sudden going to start making things because they sell.  It is what it is. If I had known this in advance, I would still have chosen for this theme. The year before, I had bird-like elements in my work. Working with ceramics is a step by step process. I saw a snakeskin hanging in the branches of a tree in my garden.  That is something I can then look at in pure admiration. It made such an impression me! Or, as I once saw in an obé tree: a snake that was completely encircling the trunk which is covered with leaf stems. The pattern, the shapes … I hold my breath and watch that, mesmerized … I am not afraid. When I saw the snakeskin, I made a sketch. I was also working with bamboo, and you know that snakes love bamboo as well.  That was when the idea was born: snake and bamboo, to combine them. I know that people have such a fear of snakes; snakes are often portrayed so negatively, but a snake can also represent healing, think for instance of the esculaap sign. The playfulness, the flexibility of the snake is what I tried to express: an embrace of snakes, a snake that comes out of a ‘prapi’ [Indian earthenware bowl, MV].”

Leonnie van Eert, ‘Prapi sneki’, 2012 | PHOTO Leonnie van Eert, 2012

“I truly make my own thing of it. I don’t know how the viewer looks at it, but I feel as though I’m making forms that can be found in nature or amongst ancient peoples. Take for example that prapi. I give it my own shape. Previous themes were ‘Amazonia’, ‘symbols’, ‘bamboo’, now ‘the snake’ and I don’t know what will come next.”

Leonnie van Eert, ‘Brasa’, 2012 | PHOTO Leonnie van Eert, 2012

“I started with ceramics at Soeki in 2008. I have always been involved with creative projects and also followed a course in watercolors for example. Right from the start I liked working with clay. With the earth. To give form to something that is unformed. That is my way of bringing things that live inside of me, to the outside. I think that I like going into depth, that I dare to do so. When you work with clay, it can conjure up a lot. I was working on a piece for the NK and experienced a lot of pleasure from it. If it got sold in October, it would have been too soon. That was Dansi, a relief with a snake in the middle. It was as though I was very close to the spiritual world. That is just about the best thing that I can feel. I even went to Humphrey Tawjoeram to get the colors clearer and better.”

Leonnie van Eert, ‘Makandra’, 2012 | PHOTO Leonnie van Eert, 2012

Leonnie keeps developing herself. “Now I started batik lessons at Sri. Ceramics will stay my main material. I am not finished with it. The clay is just Surinamese clay, which I clean by myself. But I like to also work with other materials, such as raffia.”

Although she was born in the Netherlands, Leonnie has been living in Lelydorp, in the district Wanica, with her family for fifteen years now. “I think that if I had stayed abroad, I would probably be making different work. My work in the indigenous community of Kwamalasamutu, with the people and especially with the children, had a great influence on me. I integrate that into my work. The maroon culture upstream of the Suriname River is also inspiring to me. Or the maluana’s [decorated round disc with symbols, which is placed in the top of the roof of the community hut of Wayana-indians, MV], the symmetry of them, is something that you can recognize in my work.  The shapes of my work are nature shapes. Do you know the term ‘Tribal Art’? That feels a lot like it’s mine”

Leonnie has also been inspired by fellow artists. “Someone like Winston van der Bok, or Rinaldo Klas, the way in which Rinaldo puts his shapes on canvas.  Roberto Tjon A Meeuw, especially the masks. Marcel Pinas, the work that he does in the districts. Sri, and in particular her work for Paramaribo SPAN: Ingiwinti. Ruben Makosi exhibited in 2008 with the work Slangenmoeder [snake mother] at the NK. A work with a strong individualism and which was not per se intended for commerce.  I have to keep feeding myself!”

Ceramics have for now been placed on the backburner, but that is purely for economic reasons. At this moment Leonnie works at the Kangoeroeschool http://www.kangoeroeschool.com/, where she is responsible for the development of creative art-related activities for the after-school care.  She also works as freelance educational coach for a private owned kindergarten in Lelydorp and she also organizes creative art-related activities for Stichting voor het Kind [foundation for the child]. There was previously a post about this on the Sranan Art-blog.

Please feel free to contact Leonnie van Eert to see her work at leonnievaneert  @  yahoo.com (leave out spaces before and after @). A series of small ceramic discs with symbols is available at Readytex Art Gallery, Maagdenstraat 44-upstairs, Paramaribo. For more work please visit the Sranan Art Flickr Photo Account.

TEXT Marieke Visser, 2013

Marieke Visser (Bennekom, the Netherlands, 1962) studied journalism and language and literature in the Netherlands. As publicist she writes a lot about art, culture, history and tourism from her own news agency Swamp Fish Press. The three most recent large art projects to which she has contributed are: Wakaman Drawing lines, connecting dots, Paramaribo SPAN and Kibii Wi Koni Marcel Pinas The Event. She is currently editor in chief of Sranan Art Xposed.

From the 20th until the 24th of December, 2012, Miguel Keerveld had a solo exhibition in De Hal at de Grote Combéweg, Paramaribo, Suriname. His exhibition was called SHEMACHO – I CHALLENGE I. SAX-contributor Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld had a look.

Upon entering the venue it was immediately quite clear.  Miguel, also known as ‘EdKe’, went to work in a different way. Hanging by the entrance were masks painted on cardboard and standing upright was a black casket. In it, a small TV monitor on which a film about the artist was playing and on which visitors could place their signatures or comments, thus serving as a creative, albeit surprising and unconventional  alternative to the customary guest book.  In the spacious exhibition hall the atmosphere is also different. The work is for a large part abstract and much darker than usual, mood enhancing music is playing softly in the background, the lighting has been adjusted, and a black bed frame hangs suspended from the ceiling in the left back corner. Beneath it, the silhouette of a man is drawn on the floor. It is surrounded by ashes and at one end a small tomb-like structure has been constructed. There is no denying it; the artist’s obvious preoccupation with the subject of death is subtly permeating the space. The effect is slightly morbid yet at the same time enticing and fascinating. One of the many contradictions the exhibition poses.

Miguel Keerveld, ‘Face 2 Face 2′, Mixed media installation, 2012

On the walls there are texts such as: “Our visions are strong and weak since we are in struggle and in believe”. Under it, the artist places his artist name ‘EdKe’ as well as the name of his alter ego ‘ΣzinomraH’.

This saying basically says it all, and the booklet presented at the exhibition reinforces this as well:  Miguel Keerveld is deeply philosophizing. About life, about contradictions, about the two sides to everything, in struggle, in harmony,  … Good and bad, all around him and within him … I could indeed sense a type of struggle in some of the works, but then again I tasted victory in others through the symbolism of the phoenix he chose to incorporate within. Because the artist is (consciously) absent at the opening of his exhibition, the viewers are in fact left to their own devices when it comes to interpreting this new work. Well, maybe not completely … In the small entry hall there is already a copy on display of the small booklet in which several of the philosophical ‘brainwaves’  of the artist are recorded next to photographs of his work. But just like the work itself, the texts it contains are deeply mysterious, and I at least prefer to look for interpretation in the images themselves.

Miguel Keerveld, ‘Reflection’, 2012

Miguel Keerveld, ‘Challenge’, 2012

In a unique move, in a large part inspired by the SURE Suriname exhibition in De Hal a few weeks before, Keerveld involves a number of fellow artists in the creation of his exhibition. In the end they each contribute to the exhibition with a cube that they painted in their own styles while at the same time also in keeping with the theme of the exhibition.  The intrigue, the story of contradictions is continued in this colorful installation that is formed by their collective display.

On Sunday the 23^rd of December Keerveld was present at the exhibition for a special meet the artist event in which he did share the motivation behind his new works of art with his public. I was not present on that occasion, but if truth be told, it matters not… For I don’t mind to once in awhile be puzzled, to be challenged, to see what I want to see, left to my own interpretation and my imagination, triggered by the visual intricacies of the artist’s creative expressions.   SHEMACHO was to me a mysterious, very interesting exhibition which in fact did to me, exactly the same thing the artist was apparently doing throughout it all.  On the opening night as I stood there taking it all in, I couldn’t help but philosophize, analyze …. Ahh EdKe, as a matter of fact I still haven’t figured it all out….., but fascinate me, it sure did!

Some more photo impressions of the exhibition:

Want to learn and see more of this exhibition? Then take a look here  and here

TEXT Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld

Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld is a freelance writer.  Aside from her work for Sranan Art Xposed, she writes primarily for the Readytex Art Gallery http://www.readytexartgallery.com  in Paramaribo, Suriname. She writes press releases, website texts and takes care of the publicity materials  surrounding the exhibitions and other activities of the gallery.

PHOTOS Ada Korbee, 2012

His passion for wire began when he was fifteen. “During my strolls in de ‘mondi’, the open area, the flat-lands  on Curacao, I found a piece of wire that had the shape of a net. With reinforced rebar I created a wire sculpture: a guard. Back then I already had the idea of the guardian, the protector. For some time I also made jewelry. Also from wire. I gave everything away.  I worked with stainless steel wire. Here in Suriname I used scrap materials from Paranam. Later on I got wire from the EBS.” For fifty years long André de Rooy (Curacao, 1947) refrained from sharing his work with the general public. But, a few days before his 65th birthday, this changed.  In December 2012 he presented his exhibition Fraya Waya in gallery Sukru Oso.

André de Rooy, title unknown, wire sculpture, detail, year unknown | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2012

André is the eldest in family of five. For five years he was the only child of his father and mother: René de Rooy, writer/sculptor/language teacher and Thelma Ment-Ten Meer, art lover and -collector. His younger brother is the famous artist Felix de Rooy. “When we were young, we lived in different places, Suriname, Curaçao … For my father Suriname was a ‘rejected father land’.” René de Rooy also wrote a book with that title. André to the contrary, considers Suriname his ‘discovered homeland’.  “This is my base,” he says.

André de Rooy, title unknown, wire sculpture, detail, year unknown | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2012

André de Rooy, title unknown, wire sculpture, detail, year unknown | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2012

What inspired him to finally come out as an artist? “This is the right moment. It is right, because I am ready for it now. At the moment we are fifty years from the beginning. I am an autodidact when it comes to my art. All this time I have been busy, I have given away things, also because as a physician I did not need to earn an income from it. It has been a comfort to be able to play with wire. A few months ago I met with Els Tjong Joe Wai. She said: ‘We have to hold an exhibition.’ And that moment has now arrived.”

“The word ‘fraya’; it comes from frayed, it is a word that I made up. I work with unraveled wires, which I ravel back together.  I don’t work with fire. Nothing is soldered, nothing is welded. But everything is rearranged. Our mindset is not set to the triangle. We use a cube, a ninety degree system, while the triangle offers much more possibilities.”

“The works are transparent, movable. Some make sounds. They are flexible. They are selectively visible. Do you understand what I mean by that? I am a friend of Piet (van Leeuwaarde, great Surinamese artist with primarily wood sculptures, MV). I believe in IMA, Inventive Mystical Art. ‘Make cash from trash,’ says Roberto Tjon A Meeuw. For me, the material that I work with is my gold; my treasure chest contains wire.”

As the Rooy speaks, walking in between his sculptures, all the while playing with them, it strikes me how easy it is to follow what he says. At least, when I succeed in looking with my heart, just like the little Prince in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s book does, and not just with my head. My head understands nothing about matrixes and tetrahedrons; ‘Selectively visible’, another such an expression. But when I look at the works with open eyes and open heart, then I do understand what it means.

“All works consist of knotted junctions and connecting lines. How do I represent something with wire in a space? That is the challenge. Do more with less. First expand something to the maximum, and then reduce it back to the minimum.” He pulls on one of the wire sculptures which then becomes larger, taking up more space. Until De Rooy lets the sculpture shrink back, the connecting lines turning inwards once again. Like a lung that expands when you breathe in and shrinks when you exhale. “What I do is: use minimal means to express a maximum ‘gestalt’.” And with those words André de Rooy gives one of his works a slight push, after which the wire construction begins to wobble, to move.

Who and what are his sources of inspiration? “My gurus … The I Tjing. I kept looking for the essence, for the core of things. Around 1971 I saw the relationship between the coding of the DNA-molecule and the coding of the I Tjing.  Furthermore, the idea of gestalt.” Gestalt is a term from psychology to describe coherent wholes, complete structures of ‘totals’ of which the nature cannot be discovered by a simple analyses of the constituent parts; the whole (gestalt) is more than the sum of the individual parts. Looking at André de Rooy’s work, I could also translate the word gestalt with ‘presence’. But then, presence in a way that I associate with the classic film Being there: intangible. Intangible, but unmistakable. Or an association from a more recent date: presence in way as in Marina Abramovic’ performance The Artist is Present.

“Richard Buckminster Fuller, he is my other guru. Because with his way of thinking, he makes links between different things and it becomes seamless. The invisible and the visible. Thinking and doing. Thus: how the world, the universe, works.  He bases his assumptions on the whole.”

“As mystic the most precious to me is 1 Corinthians 13:13. ‘Faith, hope and love, those three; however the greater of the three is love. ’ I am a revolutionary inspired by love. The change must occur with love, not with violence. The central point is the family. A person is not isolated from his surroundings. If you want to change a community, you have to work on the families. You must attempt to detect the frictions in the families, you have to neutralize them. Or make something better of them. I think of the I Tjing, hexagram 37, about the family. I work with families, I am a family doctor. I am a generalist, not a specialist. When I was studying medicine I could not choose, so I chose Public Health. And I have a master’s degree in mother and child care.” Just like how, as a physician, De Rooy sees man as a part of his family, everything in his art as well, is interconnected:  junctions and connecting lines. Less is more. “The change now, now that I dare to come out as an artist? I have gone from strict to more playful. From one color to multicolored. I have also used pieces of tubes for example.”

André de Rooy, ‘Pretdraak’ [fun dragon], wire sculpture, detail, aluminum and plastic, 50x30x20, 2012, not for sale | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2012

André de Rooy, Marisa Pieplenbosch and Erwin de Vries step inside Sukru Oso during opening night | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2012

André de Rooy with two guests during the opening night | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2012

What does he hope to achieve with his art? Does he even want to achieve anything with it? “I hope that I inspire people and am myself also inspired. Art changes your mindset. Art has to put people to thinking, but it has to be pleasing too. Some works look threatening, and that as well is the reality. But….. at the same time it is only just wire. Some people watch, others take action.”

TEXT & PHOTOS Marieke Visser, 2012/2013

Marieke Visser (Bennekom, the Netherlands, 1962) studied journalism and language and literature in the Netherland s. As publicist she writes a lot about art, culture, history and tourism from her own news agency Swamp Fish Press. Three large art projects to which she has recently contributed are: Wakaman Drawing lines, connecting dots, Paramaribo SPAN and  Kibii Wi Koni Marcel Pinas The Event. She is currently editor in chief of Sranan Art Xposed.

NOTE After the exhibition André de Rooy also did a workshop with children. Read about it here.

And please look at our photo report on the Sranan Art Flickr page.

With Who More Sci-Fi Than Us? Contemporary art from the Caribbean the first retrospective exhibition in the Netherlands with Caribbean contemporary art took place in Kunsthal KAdE in Amersfoort last summer. The title is a reference to the quote of the Dominican-American Junot Diaz, in his book The brief but wondrous life of Oscar Wao: “It might have been a consequence of being Antillean. Who more sci-fi than us? “. With this title curator Nancy Hoffmann chose a not particularly catchy, but striking exhibition title. She put the exhibition together with artists from Aruba, Barbados, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent, Suriname and Trinidad. It would also have been interesting to know just why from such a large region, the choice had fallen on the ultimately presented artists. That a big name from the region as that of Marcel Pinas is not lacking was logical, young talent like Sheena Rose from Barbados was recently at the Havana Biennale, so that was also an interesting choice, but unfortunately at the exhibition it never really became clear why this group of artists was chosen. Sometimes ripe and green seem to alternate and sometimes it was just a bit predictable.

Sheena Rose, ”Town” Crowd’, 2010 | Courtesy Sheena Rose

Sheena Rose, ”Town’ Look!’ , 2010 | Courtesy Sheena Rose

Science-fiction implies a glimpse into the future, however this does not seem to be the case with the majority of the works, they are more about the past or present. The futuristic work Principios basicos para destruir (2008) with a city made out of sugar cubes and eaten by ants from the Cuban Carlos Garaicoa appeared to visualize this. With the use of sugar Garaicoa appeared to stand in a tradition in which more Cuban artists used sugar (cane) as a symbol of their Cuban identity. Violence, destruction and beauty of the modern metropolis come together in this work. In an exhibition that was meant to let the Dutch public get acquainted with artists who are relatively unknown here, such an original and conceptual title might perhaps have been chosen badly.

Carlos Garaicoa, ‘Principios basicos para destruir’, 2008 | Courtesy Carlos Garaicoa

Carlos Garaicoa, ‘Principios basicos para destruir’, 2008 | Courtesy Carlos Garaicoa

It is striking that apparently the question is not asked anymore whether Suriname can be seen as Caribbean or not. In the catalog of contemporary Surinamese art, Paramaribo SPAN (2010), the Trinidadian artist-curator Christopher Cozier wrote that he, like many other people, wonders “where the Caribbean actually is located.” He starts from the idea that the area can better be interpreted as a space in which people with a shared background live, than that  it is seen as a geographically defined whole. This space is not static, but changes according to the perception where Caribbean people are “… located or where people imagine the Caribbean “. It is also important that some influential Surinamese artists in the eighties and the late nineties went to study in Jamaica for a period of time, which strengthened the direct Caribbean influence, and that they subsequently lectured at the Nola Hatterman Institute and thus influenced new generations of artists. An important factor is perhaps also that the relationships with the Caribbean are easy, because the majority is English speaking or is well able to speak English in everyday life. The Latin American hinterland with its Spanish-Portuguese language may have a greater threshold.

It seems that Suriname by these factors in the art world nowadays indeed can be rated to the Caribbean.

Among artists from the Caribbean region themes like the (de)colonial history, the diaspora, the socio-political situation and the search for a (national) identity, are common themes, and indeed these were not missing in the exhibition. The aim of the exhibition was to create a new view of the Caribbean. Artists sometimes tried to achieve this by playing with the existing stereotypes of paradise islands, where it turns out the sun does not shine everyday either. However, the presentation of all works was not always optimal, sometimes certain works hardly seem to relate to each other or they got too little space, which made it not come into its own.

Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla , ‘Returning a sound’, 2004 | Courtesy Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla

In Returning a Sound (2004) by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla there is a graceful referral to the demilitarization of an island of Puerto Rico. The present U.S. military base (1941-2003) was lifted after many years of protest by citizens. The artists call attention to this process by extending the outlet of a moped with a trumpet and driving around the island on it, in the background you can hear American jazz music. It is triumph, a cry for attention and a warning at the same time; the island is the people’s again, now they must rebuild it. But not only in Puerto Rico the presence of the Western powers was a daily reality until recently. Martinique, still French overseas territory, demonstratively received its own embassy from Jean-Francois Boclé to protest against this European ‘domination’ in the post colonial 21st century. This strange situation is not so much “sci-fi” but rather surreal. ‘Science-Fiction’ was made the central word of the exhibition, maybe it should have been ‘surrealism’. The feeling evoked by the freely translated phrase “By God and in Suriname, everything is possible”, may in daily life also be applicable to several Caribbean societies. Many people who are closely involved in the Caribbean and South American region will recognize this sometimes surreal feeling. Although refreshing, it carries perhaps too far to use this perception when reading Diaz’ ‘sci-fi’, as a guide for an exhibition.

Jean-François Boclé, ‘Boclé, Le Diable Indépendantiste’, 2011-, photograph from performance | Courtesy Jean-François Boclé/Adagp.

On a large exhibition like this, it is not surprising that it was chosen to show some more famous works of Surinamese artists such as Marcel Pinas and Remy Jungerman. On the other hand, it is a pity that not more recent work was shown. Pinas’ oil drum with bones, San E Psa (2010), was a little lost in the large room filled with murals and large works, including Pinas’ beautiful triptych Pangi kibi Man (2005). Jungerman’s classic Bakru (2007) was also exhibited, as well as Promise III (2012) which he made especially for the exhibition.  Recently in Suriname his Promise II could be seen. Completely new work made for this occasion was the black and white sculpture Movt nr. 5:  La virginité de l’Europe (2012) from Charl Landvreugd, which by the way was very well presented centrally. With confusing texts that seemed to have been derived from science fiction movies Landvreugd and his work appeared to fit well in with the theme of the exhibition.

Marcel Pinas, ‘San e psa’, installation, 500x150x200, 2010 | Courtesy Marcel Pinas

Remy Jungerman, ‘Bakru’, mixed media, 300x220x38, 2007 | Courtesy C & H Art Space

Poster for the exhibition with a work by Charl Landvreugd on it, Charl Landvreugd, ‘Movt. nr. 5: La virginité de l’Europe’, sculpture, year unknown | Courtesy Charl Landvreugd

In KAdE many and diverse Caribbean work was displayed, accompanied by quite some text and explanation. All this made it for the average visitor an exhibition that could not always be ‘digested’ easily. For the exhibition one needed more prior knowledge of the Caribbean context  than you would expect at a ‘first acquaintance exhibition’  like this one, or one had to look at the accompanying texts too much. For many, the art will not always have spoken for itself.

For large ‘retrospectives’ it is of course difficult to make choices, the audience should get an impression. It was an act of courage to make the exhibition as it was, but it was too demanding for the general public and the space given to the works sometimes left somewhat to be desired. Several individual works were interesting, especially when they entered into mutual dialogue, but as a whole the exhibition was not always clear and too many topics were broached. This unique exhibition wanted too much and consequently perhaps overshot its mark.

TEXT Dan Dickhof

Dan Dickhof writes historical art publications about old, modern and contemporary art for various media – amongst which 8WEEKLY, worked in the auction business and helps with putting together exhibitions. He studies at the art academy The Hague and also works as a young artist.

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Catalog cover

A catalog was published to accompany the exhibition.

Who More Sci-Fi Than Us. Contemporary Art from the Caribbean was edited by Nancy Hoffmann and published with KIT Publishers, Amsterdam, 2012. ISBN 9789460222115

The catalogue is divided into four sections, each prefaced by a general introduction by an author from the relevant language area: Leon Wainwright (UK), Giscard Bouchotte (FR/Haiti), Charl Landvreugd (NL/SME), Blanca Victoria López Rodríguez (Cuba) and Giscard Bouchotte (FR/Haiti). The catalogue also features an interview with Simon Njami (FR) by Jocelyn Valton (Guadeloupe). The introduction was written by Nancy Hoffman.

More Information: http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=55654#.UQ0xCx1X3kI[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org

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More websites with information:

http://www.8weekly.nl/artikel/10124/who-more-sci-fi-than-us-hedendaagse-kunst-uit-de-caraiben-tropische-verrassing-in-nederland.html

http://blog.uprising-art.com/interview-exclusive-jhafis-quintero/?lang=en

http://arcthemagazine.com/arc/2012/05/wendell-mcshine-studio-visit-at-the-kade-kunsthal-for-who-more-sci-fi-than-us/

http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=55654#.UOR3VuRX3kI

What: ‘Sustainable Art Communities: Creativity and Policy in the Transnational Caribbean’, conference

Where: Tropenmuseum, Linnaeusstraat 2, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

When: February 5 & 6, 2013

The conference is part of a two year-long research project led by Dr. Leon Wainwright (The Open Universiteit, UK) and Prof. Dr. Kitty Zijlmans (Universiteit Leiden). In late 2011 Wainwright published Timed out; Art and the transnational Caribbean. Participation is free but place is limited. Registration is possible at Marija Jaukovic, m.jaukovic@kit.nl.

On the short term film material of the conference will become available for viewing on the Open Arts Archive; on the longer term there will a review in the Open Arts Journal. In October 2013 there will be a second conference, now in London, UK. From the description of the conference: “The project explores how the understanding and formation of sustainable community for the Caribbean and its global Diaspora may be supported by art practice, curating and museums. It fosters networks of exchange and collaboration among academics, artists, curators and policymakers from the UK and the Netherlands, as well as various countries in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean and their Diaspora.”

Twenty years ago, on February 8, 1993, a new gallery was opened in the Maagdenstraat in downtown Paramaribo: Readytex Art Gallery. The intention back then, was to offer emerging artists a space where, aside from the occasional solo exhibition, they could show their work to the public year-round. Today Readytex Art Gallery is one of the most prominent galleries in Suriname and it is impossible to imagine the Surinamese art scene without her. We from the Sranan Art Xposed team express our gratitude and admiration for the two women behind the gallery: Evelyne NouhChaia-Issa and Monique NouhChaia SookdewSing. Thank you for all you’ve done and we hope that the gallery will have many, many more events to host, works to show (and sell!), artists to promote and so on. Congratulations also to the dedicated team that makes all this work possible. RAG Team, you rock!

Twenty years ago, the opening of the Readytex Art Gallery on February 8, 1993 | PHOTO Courtesy Readytex Art Gallery, 1993

Monique NouhChaia SookdewSing thinks back upon that day 20 years ago with a smile: “It was like a party at work. It was about working and selling, but then in the midst of a social event. There were many visitors. Everyone was full of praise and so enthusiastic.” A look at the old photo albums confirms the atmosphere that Monique so fondly remembers. A proud grandmother Issa who gets the honors of snipping the ribbon and cutting the cake, a beaming Evelyne NouhChaia-Issa who is seeing a dream come true, just like her daughter Monique who is overlooking it all with obvious pleasure. Pink walls full of artwork and laughing guests and artists further complete the festive scene.  “And in fact, it’s been that way throughout the years. Every exhibition is like another party. Twenty years a party!” concludes the gallery owner with great mirth.

Monique NouhChaia SookdewSing in her office, with her overflowing diary | PHOTO Ada Korbee, 2012

Those who know the ‘inbere’ [insides] of Readytex Art Gallery are well aware that aside from the art filled parties, there is also a lot of hard work done in the gallery and behind the scenes. They also know of the great challenges which were then, and are now, of influence to the success of the business aspect of the gallery. But the management of Readytex Art Gallery can proudly look back on the ever increasing growth and professionalization and many memorable milestones such as: the launch of the website in 2004, the first international art fair participation namely the Holland Art Fair in 2006, the first solo exhibition in the new venue De Hal (René Tosari, Dicht bij de oorsprong [Close to the origins] 2010), the large Kibii Wi Koni project of Marcel Pinas in 2011, in KKF, De Hal and in Moengo, and his election as Young Global Leader shortly before that, the pleasant collaboration with Gallery L’Encadrier in French Guyana, the role of Readytex Art Gallery in the many international residencies and events in which her partner artists regularly participate.  “And each solo show is a major highlight as well!” adds Monique NouhChaia. With great pride she also sums up the exhibition statistics of the past twenty years: “43 solo’s, 30 mixed exhibitions, 21 international shows in which Readytex had a role to play, and not to forget the daily mixed exhibition in the gallery and a daily internet presence through the website and the Facebook page.”

Monique NouhChaia SookdewSing in the gallery | PHOTO Ada Korbee, 2012

The idea of Evelyne NouhChaia, who saw an increasing demand for visual art among the clientele of the souvenir department -several artists already sold small watercolors there- has turned into a challenging, but very satisfying business, which has resulted in valuable partnerships locally and internationally and which contributes significantly to the awareness and appreciation for art among the Surinamese public.

The ‘stonfutu’s’ who have been with the gallery since the beginning are Rinaldo Klas, Soeki Irodikromo, Kenneth Flijders, René Tosari, Reinier Asmoredjo, Henri (Soeka) Soekarman Kartotaroeno, Humphrey Tawjoeram and Anita Hartmann. The then newly graduated Marcel Pinas and George Struikelblok, currently two of the most significant Surinamese contemporary artists, joined early on as well. By now the steady team of the gallery includes Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, Wilgo Vijfhoven, Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, Kurt Nahar, Sri Irodikromo, Sunil Puljhun, Dhiradj Ramsamoedj and Hanka Wolterstorff. Also Ron Flu and several artists who live abroad such as Paul Chang, John Lie A Fo and Fineke van der Veen are represented by Readytex Art Gallery.

In order for the gallery to survive as a business in this challenging art market, it is necessary stay alert and active. The team of Readytex Art Gallery is deeply committed to her mission of promoting and marketing Surinamese visual art and artists locally and internationally, as effectively as possible and she fully supports the development and career goals of all partner artists. The gallery has a large and varied collection of art works in stock which she hopes to present to the public on a more regular basis. Since the current gallery is quite limited in space, a new plan is currently being implemented which will bring about some much desired change in this area. In the adjacent building, the parental home of Evelyne NouhChaia, where Readytex Specials was previously located on the ground floor, a large renovation is currently underway. Once it is completed, the beautiful historical building will be a spacious and beautiful Art house in which a much larger part of the art collection will be displayed. Yet another important milestone to look forward to!

But for now we turn our attention to the ‘bigi jari’ [anniversary] at hand!!!  In order to celebrate her 20th anniversary, Readytex Art Gallery opens her second Out of stock exhibition on February 8 in which of each artist, some of the oldest and most recent work out of the gallery’s stock will be shown. A quite interesting and in many cases surprising selection! And a fitting way to share the fond memories of twenty unforgettable, artistic years, with all lovers of Surinamese visual art. Keep supporting us, keep supporting Surinamese art, and invest in the product of our Surinamese artists!

The first ‘Out of stock’ exhibition, ‘Reveiling our stored treasures’, February 2012 | PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang, 2012

The first ‘Out of stock’ exhibition, ‘Reveiling our stored treasures’, February 2012 | PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang, 2012

The first ‘Out of stock’ exhibition, ‘Reveiling our stored treasures’, February 2012 | PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang, 2012

What: Out of stock exhibition, celebrating the 20^th anniversary of Readytex Art Gallery

When:  February 9-13, 2013, 19:00-21:00. Opening: February 8, 2013, 19:30. Music jam: February 9, 2013, 19:00-21:00

Where: De Hal, Grote Combéweg 45, Paramaribo

A new edition of Sranan Art Xposed has arrived.

Cover

Some of the highlights:

Harvey Lisse; a young photographer to keep an eye on!

The Morthership of Ken Doorson has landed …

Wilgo Elshot: “This is me. I paint Suriname”

The quirky work of Leonardo Benzant

Conceptuitive works of Jabu Arnell

Do you want Sranan Art Xposed in your inbox? Please drop us a line at srananart@gmail.com

Or download the English edition of SAX 7 here: SAX 7 English edition feb13 , or the Dutch version of SAX 7 here: SAX 7 Nederlandse editie feb13.

In a series of three blog posts Sranan Art Xposed will put a special focus on Ken Doorson. In November 2012 Ken Doorson had an exhibition in Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo, Suriname: The Mothership. To acquaint the audience with his work, he also organized a Prologue, a few months before The Mothership opened. During that Prologue, the artist and two writers, talked about how Ken sees his work, and what inspires and drives him. In this first post art critic Rob Perrée writes about Ken Doorson.

A little over seven years ago Ken Doorson (Moengo, Marowijne, 1978) returned to his home country after having lived in the Antilles and the Netherlands for about fourteen years.  He missed his country, but at the same time he had forgotten what exactly it was that he missed. He had to redefine his identity. He had been living in Diaspora for so long that living in Suriname initially felt like living in Diaspora.

Ken Doorson showing a work from a previous period | PHOTO Roy Tjin, 2009

His recent work is about rediscovering his own country. About becoming aware of the rich culture of the maroons (Doorson was born in Moengo in the Marowijne-district). About delving into the important and eventful history of Suriname, a history which many people don’t or no longer know much of, a history that many inhabitants have also forgotten or pushed to the background.

Ken Doorson, ‘Boni’ | PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2009

In his work Ken Doorson tells stories. He does not do that by painting narrative representations or by converting scenes into clay, but by making portraits of people who find themselves in a crucial, emotional or dramatic phase in their lives.  For example a slave who is about to be sold or a priest who realizes the relativity of his mission when he becomes aware of the deeply rooted, traditional religious life of the maroon.

Ken Doorson, title unknown, ceramics | PHOTO Roy Tjin, 2009

To express emotions, Ken Doorson primarily uses color. “I often translate life around me immediately into colors.” He combines colors, puts the expressionistically painted color planes or color stains against each other, or mixes them with each other, in such a way that they create drama.  “The work has to get a soul.” He supplements this method by more or less making up the faces. They are not meant to portray the reality, they don’t intend to be a portrait in the traditional sense of the word  – a beautifying portrait or a status raising portrayal – they aim to hint at the circumstances in which the person finds himself.  The artist (de)forms the ceramic heads in a similar manner. Occasionally he reduces them to just a fragment of a face, for example just the mouth and a nose. By working on a large scale – the paintings almost literally stare at you – the emotions are intensified. The same is true for the ceramic heads. He presents those as an installation, so that the viewer is inevitably surrounded by it.

Because he hardly ever gives titles to his work and because they almost never have a context, it is almost impossible to discern exactly which story Doorson is telling. Sometimes there is a Dutch coat of arms on a chest and shoulders appear to be wearing braids, sometimes a background is somewhat filled in or numbers turn up, but usually the viewer has to contend with an ‘anonymous’ face. That is a conscious choice. Ken Doorson mostly wants to communicate impressions and emotions. By doing so he awakens curiosity and inspires the viewer to fill in their own story or their own history.

Ken Doorson does not restrict himself when it comes to means of expression. He paints, he draws, he makes installations and ceramic objects. He also writes poems and with great conviction he works along in the so-called Moengo-project, a project initiated by the artist Marcel Pinas, in Moengo and its direct surroundings. The project aims to introduce young maroons to various forms of culture, to make them aware of the wealth and the variety of their own culture and to stimulate their own talent and creativity and put them into practice. In addition to all this Doorson also considers teaching the students at the Nola Hatterman Art Academy, part of his artistry.

Even though returning Suriname is of great importance to the personal and professional development of Ken Doorson, he strives to present his work abroad as well and wants to keep measuring his work against international developments, to thus take it further and to lift it to a more universal level.

TEXT Rob Perrée

Amsterdam, April 2012

Rob Perrée works as freelance writer, art critic and curator, specialized in contemporary (Afro-) American art, African art and art using new media. His work has appeared in countless catalogues, books, magazines and newspapers. He is editor of the Dutch art magazine Kunstbeeld.

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld