Srananart's Blog

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘De golfslag van Coronie’ [The waves of Coronie], ceramics, 60 cm wide x 38 cm high x 32 cm deep, 2011, from Hanka Wolterstorff.

Hanka Wolterstorff, ‘De golfslag van Coronie’ [The waves of Coronie], ceramics, 60 cm wide x 38 cm high x 32 cm deep, 2011 – USD 300 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Whether as an art lover you like it or not, the traditional boundaries of art are gradually blurring under the influence of the internet and social media. Many young people in particular, are not concerned about whether something is art, or is considered art, or not. They are faced with so many images on a daily basis, that they see them as one large image databank, which you can tap into freely. Because you consider it beautiful, cool, or because it speaks to you for some other reason. And then there are so many accessible gadgets and devices easily within reach, that anyone can make a film or a photograph. So how so artist? The boundaries between artists and handy amateurs are fading as well.

On the other hand there are increasingly more artists who use art forms that previously belonged more to well meaning amateurs. There is currently much knitting, embroidering, crocheting, sculpting and knotting of carpets going on. These developments are not only inevitable, they are also interesting, because artists force themselves to think and operate differently. They are interesting because they increasingly refer the artificial differences between ‘high art’ and ‘low art’ to the past.

For those free-thinking viewers and artists, it would be good to take notice of the work of an artist such as Hanka Wolterstorff (Hoorn, 1943). She knows how to use ‘ordinary’ clay to make objects such as this ‘De golfslag van Coronie’ [The waves of Coronie] from 2011. Objects that seem to move, that suggest rather than copy the reality, that regardless of their sometimes compact and tough material can express a lightness and a vulnerability, and which are capable of seducing the viewer without adapting to conventional tastes. In short, she knows how to make the most of the quality and the characteristics of her material, in an inventive and creative way.

Although she uses a lot of colors in some of her other objects, for this work she choose only a limited amount of dark colors, which do however harbor many nuances within. Similar to how water can also be colorful in its apparent monotony.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, February 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

Want to see this and other work of Hanka Wolterstorff ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Hanka Wolterstorff please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/hankawolterstorff.

More work by Hanka Wolterstorff available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Hanka Wolterstorff, ‘Llama’, ceramics, 26wx33hx25d cm, 2014 – USD 200 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Hanka Wolterstorff, ‘Untiltled I’, ceramics, 2007 – USD 125 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Hanka Wolterstorff, ‘Vaas’, ceramics, 28wx31hx18d cm,
2014 – USD 300 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Hanka Wolterstorff, ‘Speelbal van de natuur’, ceramics, 40wx35hx30d cm, 2011 – USD 250 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

On October 1^st Razia Barsatie started her period as artist in residence at Tembe Art Studio (TAS) in Moengo. The relationship between the artist and Moengo however, had started much earlier. Razia was a student at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in the Netherlands from 2008 until 2012. At that that time, while doing an internship in Suriname, she already visited Tembe Art Studio. Her colleague Ravi Rajcoomar was then the artist in residence there.

Invitation for unveiling installation by Razia Barsatie

Since her return to Suriname, now a little over two years ago, Razia has made the trip to this former mining town in the district of Marowijne, many times. She also helped there during the Moengo Festival of Theater & Dance in September 2014, and she is already part of the team working on the preparations for the Moengo Visual Arts Festival of 2015. “I just love driving to Moengo. I often do so alone. Then I simply enjoy the surroundings and the rest and the opportunity to just think about all kinds of things.” That others often ask if she isn’t afraid to go to Moengo and especially to make the drive all by herself – which incidentally she is not at all – has put her to thinking. “People know so little about Moengo. What they do know, is what they see in the press, and that is often only the negative news. But there is so much that is positive. But the distance is an obstacle. Because of that the negative seems closer and the positive is kept at a distance. That is unfortunate.”

A sketch for the installation / PHOTO Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2014

When the opportunity for her own artist in residence period came along, Razia knew immediately that this would be her subject for the artwork she would leave behind in Moengo. That artwork does not stand there yet. The concept is ready, the choice of materials is for the main part complete, but there are some questions still surrounding the execution. It is after all not a simple object. The art installation that Razia will leave behind in the art park at Moengo is a very large telescope. And preferably one that really works. The telescope will stand there as a symbol of reducing the distance; of bringing the positive closer. The positive side of Moengo should be clearly visible for anyone daring to take a closer look. Distance should not be an obstacle when you want to discover something new.

According to the original concept, the four meter long telescope will be positioned on top of a hill in Moengo, directed towards a beautiful spot or object in the area. The telescope will be ‘carried’ by two human figures covered on the outside with bauxite stones from the area. That the telescope will come, that is certain. Whether it is an actual magnifying telescope depends on the results of Razia’s search for the appropriate telescopic glass. And where exactly it will stand, and whether it will be on a hill, is something that will be determined very soon. “For now there is still a plan A, a plan B, etc, etc …”, says the artist. “Because if you have an idea, you should just go for it. Eventually you will find a solution for everything. Where that is concerned I always keep a few alternatives in mind”.

This way of thinking is something that Razia has taken with her from her studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. “There they put great emphasis on the conceptual. You learn that the idea, the concept, is very important, and not so much the execution”. Razia is indeed very much focused on the conceptual when it comes to her art. She specialized in video art at the Rietveld academy, but she is also very interested in installation art. Regardless of the medium that she chooses however, it is always the concept that takes precedence in her work. That was already clearly visible at her first solo exhibition in Suriname called Anxious, where in addition to video animations, she also showed a wrought iron installation. It is also clear in more recent projects (in French Guyana and at Het Surinaamsch Rumhuis of the SAB for example) where she incorporated aromatic spices in her art. The addition of scent makes a much broader sensory experience of the artwork and this is something that Razia intends to experiment with further.

An installation with fresh peppers, made by Razia Barsatie in French Guyana during an Inter Guyanese Cultural festival. “What was important to me: the scent of pepper coming from the installation. The scent was actually the work of art; the
patterns were just presentation.” / PHOTO Courtesy Razia Barsatie

Old rum barrels from
Suriname Alcoholic Beverages N.V. (SAB), decorated with spices by Razia Barsatie during
the first Museum Night in Suriname, in Het Surinaamsch Rumhuis (Facebook) on May 18, 2014 / PHOTO Courtesy Razia Barsatie

Razia has also introduced an interesting concept during the art lessons that she gives to the children in Moengo and surroundings as part of her residency. Instead of the standard drawing lessons, she makes short animation films with the children using drawings that they have made. In the films the children act out their own stories, visually as well as vocally. The concept was received with much enthusiasm by the kids. They start with a full-color drawing of a favorite place from their own surroundings, followed by a drawing of themselves. The latter is then cut out and glued to a pencil so that the figures can then be moved against the background of the first drawing. The children are divided in groups and together they make up a story which they play out and which is then filmed by Razia. The creativity of the children is thus stimulated on different levels and they learn to work together effectively. “The children really enjoy doing this. Sometimes they don’t even want to go home.” Razia hopes to also present the results of this project at the upcoming Moengo Visual Arts Festival in 2015.

The children in Moengo working on the animation film project / PHOTO Courtesy Razia Barsatie, 2014

A still from the animation film project / PHOTO Courtesy Razia Barsatie, 2014

Sometime in January the artwork of Razia Barsatie will proudly stand on the spot that the artist has ultimately chosen for it. People from Moengo, young and old, visitors, and others from the surroundings, will curiously look through the glass of the telescope to see what it is that Razia wants them to see. It will surely be something special. Because if you dare to take a good look, and don’t get scared away by distances, there is a lot that is worth discovering, and certainly in Moengo. Good luck Razia!

Razia’s wire sculptures, during the Open Day at Prakwaki on 19 January 2014 / PHOTO Courtesy Razia Barsatie

Razia’s wire sculptures, during the Open Day at Prakwaki on 19 January 2014 / PHOTO Courtesy Razia Barsatie

Razia’s wire sculptures, during the Open Day at Prakwaki on 19 January 2014 / PHOTO Courtesy Razia Barsatie

Razia’s wire sculptures, during the Open Day at Prakwaki on 19 January 2014 / PHOTO Courtesy Razia Barsatie

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 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.

On the Sranan Art Flickr-page please find an album with photos by Peter Thielen and Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld of the presentation of Razia Barsatie‘s installation ‘San e soi faawe e kon koosube’ (‘Iets wat ver lijkt is eigenlijk dichtbij’ or ‘Something that seems far away is actually nearby’) on February 15, 2015, in Moengo, Marowijne district, Suriname.

A video registration from the unveiling of Razia Barsatie’s installation, February 15, 2015, by Peter Thielen: Razia Barsatie – ‘San e soi faawe e kon koosube’, Moengo, Marowijne, Suriname

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week ‘Wan Tranga Famiri’, mixed media on canvas, 35 cm wide x 60 cm high, 2009, by George Struikelblok.

George Struikelblok, ‘Wan Tranga Famiri’, mixed media on canvas, 141 cm wide x 208 cm high, 2009 – USD 2500 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Recently a ‘Giant Painting’ was installed in the departure hall of the Johan Adolf Pengel airport at Zanderij. Led by George Struikelblok (Paramaribo, 1973) – in his capacity as chairman of the Federation of Visual Artists in Suriname (FVAS) – 30 Surinamese artists contributed to this enormous painting. The result: a colorful jumble of images, which make it hard to recognize the work of the individual artists. A true collaborative project, in more ways than one. Because the project generated a lot of publicity, I could look at it without having actually seen it in real life. It did not surprise me that I was still able to immediately recognize Struikelblok’s contribution. He has a signature style that works almost like a company logo. Black outlined figures referring to people, blank heads, letters and numbers lost somewhere on the canvas, like a puzzle asking to be solved, rows of ‘teeth’ placed vertically or horizontally elsewhere on the surface, and perhaps most importantly: mobile multiple colors.

This painting is a good example thereof. The light blue background pushes the central image towards the front. This is made up of much more intense colors. Bright red, green and black dominate. Because Struikelblok paints in a seemingly sloppy way – there are no neat lines that fully connect, ‘spilled’ drops can be seen all over, forms run over or through each other – a dynamic is created that seduces and sparks curiosity.

Because his paintings are always somewhere between abstract and figurative, it is always guessing what exactly you see, or rather what you see in it. At first sight it is to me, a passionate embrace between two lovers. The sparks fly off of it. From some distance, but still quite close by: two other figures that seem to observe. In any case they radiate less energy. The title however, ‘Wan Tranga Famiri’ (Strong family), refers to a close-knit family. These figures could then be, or must be, the children of the excited pair. That is the downside of titles. They take away a part of your freedom. I would have preferred to see those other two in a competitive or an envious role …

Struikelblok uses love as his main theme for quite a while now. With that he has not made it any easier for himself. Somebody once said: happiness is the death of art. Because of his way of painting, because of the emotional impact of his paintings, because of the strength of his images, he has been able to, for now, refer that statement to the land of fiction.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, February 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

Want to take a closer, personal look at this work? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about George Struikelblok please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/georgestruikelblok.

A previous edition of An Eye for Art about George Struikelblok can be read here:

https://srananart.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/an-eye-for-art-george-struikelblok-lob-makandra-2/

NOTE! This work has been sold.

‘Lob Makandra 2’, mixed media on canvas, 35 cm wide x 60 cm high, 2012 – SOLD / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

More work by George Struikelblok available in Readytex Art Gallery (also look at the page Owner 2 Owner):

George Struikelblok, ‘Den Lobi Wan’, mixed media on canvas, 225 cm wide x 151 cm high, year unknown - USD 2500 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

George Struikelblok, ‘Den Lobi Wan’, mixed media on canvas, 225 cm wide x 151 cm high, 2012 – USD 2500 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

George Struikelblok, ‘We tan nanga makandra’, mixed media on canvas, 150 cm wide x 150 cm high, 2011 – USD 1300 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

George Struikelblok, ‘Mi lobi yu’, mixed media on canvas, 57 cm wide x 145 cm high, 2013 – USD 800 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on February 26, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on February 26, 2015.

Because really looking at art and understanding art are not always obvious and easy to do, we hope that these regular reviews will at least offer you some insight into the process. You will get to see how a connoisseur looks at art, discusses it, and then links the work to others within the international art world.

Of course you can only truly judge a work of art when you are actually standing in front of it yourself. We therefore hope to see you soon in Readytex Art Gallery and are eager to hear what you think of this artwork, and which other works of art you find yourself drawn to. Please note that the artworks discussed are still available for purchase at the time that the review is published.

Rob Perrée is art historian and works as freelance writer, art critic and curator, specialized in contemporary (Afro-) American art, African art, Surinamese art and art using new media. His work has appeared in countless catalogues, books, magazines and newspapers. He is editor of Sranan Art Xposed, editor in chief of Africanah.org and a member of the editing team of Pf Photo Magazine. His website: http://robperree.com.

Artist Sunil Puljhun is exploring an entirely different direction. Predominantly black, somber canvases with acrylic paint and collages, have been exchanged for cheerful watercolors and laughing Hindustani dancers.

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Dans 1′ [Dance 1], acrylics on canvas, created in the context of Glo’ Art, 2014 / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Dans 2′ [Dance 2], acrylics on canvas, created in the context of Glo’ Art, 2014 / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

For a long time Sunil Puljhun was focused on universal problems, especially those of the youth. He used mixed media, amongst which sand with dark acrylic paint. He also used various techniques: a combination of collage techniques and painting.

Sunil Puljhun, ‘A Cry 1’, digital, printed on canvas, worked on with acrylic paint, created in the context of Glo’ Art, 2014 / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

Sunil Puljhun, ‘A Cry 2’, digital, printed on canvas, worked on with acrylic paint, created in the context of Glo’ Art, 2014 / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

In 2010 he participated in a large exhibition in the gardens of De Surinaamsche Bank N.V., Paramaribo SPAN. ‘For me that was a platform that helped me to become more daring. It was a very positive experience. The installation I made for this exhibition, ‘Time Will Tell’, was a very challenging work. I dared to give my thoughts free rein. Paramaribo SPAN helped me to move forward.’

Sunil Puljhun in front of ‘Time Will Tell’ / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

Sunil Puljhun in front of a work from the series ‘The Weight of Darkness’ / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

The large turnaround came after his solo exhibition The Weight of Darkness in De Hal, in 2011. It dealt with subjects from all around the world: power, greed, violence. ‘I thought to myself: what should I do now? I was stuck and wondered: how do I go further?’ Suddenly he applied the theme of colleague artist Marcel Pinas, “kibri a kulturu” (preserve the culture), to himself. ‘As a Hindustani artist, what do I see from my own culture? As he asked for explanations surrounding the background of several rituals from Indian culture, he received no satisfying answers. ‘For me, the choice for this theme, has to do with culture preservation as well. If you ask young people nowadays what for example kathak is, they don’t know.’

Sunil Puljhun, new work from the series about kathak-dance, mixed technique (digital or by hand), printed on cardboard with linen texture and subsequently worked on, A4-format, 2014 / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

The cultural heritage of hinduism is so vast that the artist quickly chooses to delineate the field and start his research on the subject of dance. At the department ‘Cultuurstudies’ he read about everything related to it: facial expressions, finger positions, the clothing, the origins …

Early in 2014 Sunil went to Belgium for a residency of one month, at GLO’ART (also on Facebook), a ‘global art center’. He had hoped to continue working in the new direction he had recently started on. ‘They had however, selected me based on older work and at GLO’ART (also on Facebook) they wanted me to continue working in that manner.’ Initially a disappointment, but he quickly decided to make the best of it and this ultimately resulted in a beautiful series of enhanced digital prints. ‘A few years ago I took a workshop in photography from Peter Thielen. I started working on top of canvases with photos printed on them.’

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Fear’, digitally enhanced photo on canvas, 80x150 cm, 2014, created in the context of Glo’ Art / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Fear’, digitally enhanced photo on canvas, 80×150 cm, 2014, created in the context of Glo’ Art / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Life cycle’, charcoal and acrylic paint on paper, 80x150 cm, 2014, created in the context of Glo’ Art / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Life cycle’, charcoal and acrylic paint on paper, 80×150 cm, 2014, created in the context of Glo’ Art / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

Sunil Puljhun, title unknown, acrylics on canvas, created in the context of Glo’ Art, 2014 / Photo Courtesy Sunil Puljhun

Once back in Suriname however, he became once again engrossed in the new theme. Aside from dance, other elements were gradually added, such as the Hindi script, the gods, the flags, the rituals surrounding death. He is preparing himself for a solo exhibition in 2015. He presented a number of these new works at the opening of the new location of Readytex Art Gallery (also on Facebook) in February 2015.

About the artist:

From a very early age, Sunil Puljhun (Paramaribo, 1978) made posters which he sold in his neighborhood in order to earn money to pay for school. Encouraged by art teacher Djiman and various family members, he started lessons at the Nola Hatterman Art Academy (NHAA) halfway through the nineties. He graduated from this institute in 1999 and is currently a teacher there. He is affiliated with the Readytex Art Gallery (also on Facebook).

Since 2001 he has participated in the National Art Fair every year. In 2009, Sunil Puljhun participates in the group exhibition Multiculturalism, in Villa Nuts, the Hague, in the Netherlands, together with colleagues Remond Mangoensemito (and more), Ravi Rajcoomar (also blogging) and Raul Wongsodihardjo. During this period he also spends time working as an art teacher at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie (GRA) in Amsterdam, as part of the exchange program between the GRA and the NHAA in Paramaribo.

TEXT Marieke Visser

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. 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.

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld

The Dutch text was previously published in EFM Magazine (also on Facebook) vol. 3, no. 10, November 2014. Several months later, February 2015, Sunil Puljhun has decided to go back to his earlier themes & techniques. If you’re in Suriname, stop by at Readytex Art Gallery (also on Facebook) to see (and purchase) his work in real life. Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname.

EFM Magazine vol. 3, no. 10, November 2014

EFM Magazine vol. 3, no. 10, November 2014, Uitgesproken [Outspoken]

Invitation

What: Oneliners, an exhibition by Els Tjong Joe Wai

When: March 6, 7 & 8, 2015, 19:00-22:00 hrs. Opening March 6, 19:00 with performance by Tolin Alexander

Where: Sukru Oso, Cornelis Jongbawstraat 16a, Paramaribo, Suriname

Els Tjong Joe Wai in front of a work that was on display in a previous exhibition, Zonder titel [Untitled] / PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2014

Back to basics. For artist Els Tjong Joe Wai this is her way of maneuvering through life’s rapids. She has done turnarounds a few times before. For example: suddenly breaking up in Greece where she had been living contently for many years, running a gallery, doing great artistically speaking, to return to Suriname because this is where love was calling. “Whenever I change direction, it is very important to me to go all the way back to basics. Back to pencil or ink, and paper. And then it becomes clear that what you had thought of as a transitionary phase, actually produces very nice work.”

After an intense change of direction – the sudden passing of her loved one – she once again reverted back to the basics. After the initial mourning, the feeling of wanting to do ‘something’ again, hesitantly crept upwards. But what? And where to begin? “I also make objects, so I didn’t necessarily have to start painting or drawing. I could also have started sticking or pounding or gluing things. But I thought: keep it simple. Just begin with a pencil. Just start with a line. That was very liberating. And thus entirely new work came into existence.”

From the one-liners series by Els Tjong Joe Wai / PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2014

She calls this new work her ‘one-liners’. Although this word is something out of linguistics, she does feel that it fits well here: it is after all a clear and straightforward image. Her one-liners are done on beautiful drawing paper and she also uses paper made from banana leaves. She gets the latter from the Matoekoe foundation in Lelydorp. The drawings are made with ink and a drawing pen. Although she certainly likes different colors as well, Tjong Joe Wai currently prefers working with black because she feels that the sobriety of it is most compelling to the work she makes now.

There are also larger ‘one-liners’ on paper made from the fibers of the banana plant. From the one-liners series on banana plant ‘paper’, by Els Tjong Joe Wai / PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2014

The one-liners are small, in postcard dimensions, but there are also larger ones, measuring up to A-3 in size. She started large and felt comfortable doing so. But afterwards she discovered that working small was actually very exciting and that she could be much more stylized in those. With the smaller one-liners especially, she uses a magnifying glass to avoid the risk of lines touching one another where they are not intended to.

Els Tjong Joe Wai loves working on paper. The one-liners may have been born out of a difficult period, but they give her much pleasure.

At her next exhibition – which is planned for March 7 &8 2015 – she will show her one-liners and also several watercolors. It will be her second exhibition in Suriname. The first one, named Zonder titel (without title), took place in December of 2011 and it was the exhibition at which she introduced herself as an artist in her own country.

Before her ‘one-liners’ Els made several watercolors of figures that have maneuvered themselves in impossible positions. She calls those ‘spagaten’ (splits). From the splits series by Els Tjong Joe Wai / PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2014

Her book, Zonder title [Untitled], is still available at Book store Vaco (also on Facebook) and at Readytex Art Gallery (also on Facebook).

‘Zonder Titel / Untitled’, cover

Els Tjong Joe Wai (Paramaribo, 1952) went to the Ruudt Wackers art academy (also on Facebook) in Amsterdam, 1998-2001. From 2001 to 2009 she lived in Aeropolis, Greece. In 2009 she moved back to Suriname as visual artist and opened Art Gallery Sukru Oso in 2011.

Els Tjong Joe Wai in front of a work that was on display in a previous exhibition, Zonder titel [Untitled] / PHOTO Marieke Visser, 2014

TEXT Chandra van Binnendijk, 2014

Chandra van Binnendijk (Paramaribo, 1953) is editor and publicist. From 1977 until 1988 she was part of the news editors of various newspapers and radio stations, and was a correspondent for various Caribbean media. After ten years she said goodbye to active journalism and is since focusing mostly on culture, art and history. She has co-written several art publications amongst which Twintig jaar beeldende kunst in Suriname 1975 – 1995 (Amsterdam, KIT Publishers, 1995) and she was author and compiler of the art catalog Zichtbaar (Paramaribo, 2005) about the art collection of De Surinaamsche Bank. Recent publications in which she was involved as co-author and co-compiler are Bouwstenen voor een betere wereld. 250 jaar vrijmetselarij in Suriname (Paramaribo, 2011) and TOR. A People’s Business (Paramaribo, 2012).

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2014

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Zebra’, painted driftwood, 216 cm long x 112 cm high x 86 cm wide, 2009, by Roddney Tjon Poen Gie.

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Zebra’, painted driftwood, 216 cm long x 112 cm high x 86 cm wide, 2009 – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

I saw this sculpture for the first time in a photograph made in Readytex Art Gallery’s space. Lying on the ‘back’ of the sculpture was a woman, apparently dying with laughter. An unusual sight, because as a visitor you’re supposed to view a work of art from a respectful distance. Whoever determined that it should be so, nobody really knows anymore. That is the museum code. That code is held sacred above and beyond any discussion. Or so it seems.

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie (Paramaribo, 1962) is a serious artist, but he doesn’t seem to give much consideration to the code. That can be concluded from the way in which he works. Over ten years ago he made a sculpture on the water’s edge – a Chinese dragon. That sculpture consisted of pieces of scrap wood or drift wood that he found in the surrounding area and attached to existing beach poles. When he was asked some time later what remained of that artwork, he answered laconically, that certain pieces might still exist, but that due to the moisture and the heat such work was inevitably fleeting. The water was the source of inspiration, the water was then also allowed to reclaim it.

That same level-headed mentality explains why his animal sculptures always originate from existing pieces of wood. The shape of that wood determines the identity of the animal. The shape of the wood stimulates his creativity. Although he has a preference for Chinese dragons – he is partly Chinese – , most of his animals look more animal-like or more like fantasy animals, than like anything corresponding to reality. Sometimes it is the way in which he paints them that determines the association that the viewer has with it. I am under the impression that he consciously plays on, or guides, this association with his titles. This sculpture is titled ‘Zebra’, just as logical as it is illogical. Because of the black and white it is, at quick a glance, reminiscent of a zebra, but the shape is completely different from that of a zebra.

In many of his works the bright colors are what entice the viewer to delve further into them. That is not the case in this work. This work apparently invites the viewer to touch and, as can be seen in the photograph: to use as a type of climbing device.

Alida Neslo horsing around with ‘Zebra’ / PHOTO Ada Korbee

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, January 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld

Want to see this and other work of Roddney Tjon Poen Gie ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname, www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Roddney Tjon Poen Gie please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/roddneytjonpoengie.

A previous edition of ‘An Eye for Art’ about Roddney Tjon Poen Giewas published on this blog here.

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie also did an artist residency in Moengo, in 2014. He made an installation there, ‘Bagua’, inspired by Feng shui philosophy.

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie on his ‘Bagua’-installation in Moengo / PHOTO Courtesy Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, 2014

More work by Roddney Tjon Poen Gie available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Submerged’, acrylic on wood, 80wx85hx55d, 2014 – USD 350 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Pedestal 5’, acryl on cardboard tube, 18x61x18cm, 2011 – USD 2011 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Lifebuoy’, acrylic on driftwood, 110wx79h, 2010 – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Guards’, acrylic on wood, 90wx170hx60d, 2009 – USD 1200 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Drager’ [Carrier], acrylic on wood, 101wx102hx9d, 2009 – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Seduction’, acrylic on canvas, 132wx92h, 2009 – USD 785 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Missing link’, , acrylic on canvas, 190wx150h, 2009 – USD 1200 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Gaurdians’, acryl on canvas, 95x110cm, 2009 – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Afaka mask II’, mahogany, 13x23x4cm, 2009 – USD 225 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Indigenous Conception I’, mixed media on paper, 23x54cm, 2005 – USD 150 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Indigenous Conception II’, mixed media on paper, 30x44cm, 2005 – USD 150 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on March 11, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on March 11, 2015.

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Born on the wrong date 1’, acrylics on canvas, 30 cm wide x 60 cm high, 2012, from Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi.

Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Born on the wrong date 1’, from the series ‘Short Stories’, acryl on canvas, 80 cm wide x 60 cm high, 2012 - USD / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Born on the wrong date 1’, from the series ‘Short Stories’, acryl on canvas, 80 cm wide x 60 cm high, 2012 – USD 650 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

In 2012 Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi made a series of paintings which she named ‘Short Stories’. With short stories I would initially think of literature, not of visual art. Yet it turns out not to be such a strange title after all. Especially not for her. Language is a method of expression for artists as well. Her poems for example, are proof thereof.

The paintings in the series form a narrative. They are like short scenes from a story. This work is a good example thereof. In a realistic style Kit-Ling depicts a girl who walks through a street in Paramaribo. She walks alone. The sky looks somewhat turbulent. It’s quite windy. The yellow curtain is waving in the wind. It is not at all hard to think up a story. Where is she walking to? Is she as lonely as she seems? Is there a threat lurking?

What is striking is the red line that outlines her. Does that line continue? Is that a way to indicate that it is only a scene from a story? Does the story go on, just like how the red line creates the impression of an image that moves along, on its way towards the next scene?

Even more striking are the foreground and the blue sky. There are words written in them. Or at least the curly letters seem to form words. What is written exactly, is not clear. In the blue sky a bit of puzzle work might turn up something. The words on the street do not go beyond a suggestion of words. I don’t think it is important whether I can or cannot read those words. They symbolize the narrative character of the work. And above all, they symbolize the open content: Tjon Pian Gi appears to give the viewers the liberty to use their imagination and give it their own interpretation.

In a lot of her work Tjon Pian Gi showcases the diversity of the Surinamese culture. In this work she transcends the local and takes on a more universal theme. Could that girl not have been walking in any random city, in any other country?

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, March 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

Want to see this and other work of Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/kitlingtjonpiangi.

Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi also published two books, still available at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo.

More work by Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Woman Artist 3’, conte on paper, 70 cm wide x 100 cm high, year unknown – USD 550 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Krabu Owrukuku – A pa nanga a boi’ [Owls – The father and the son], acryl on wood, 30 cm wide x 30 cm high, 2014 – USD 275 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Vermont Impressions II’, acryl on glass, 64 cm wide x 66 cm high, 2012 – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Mercredi des Cendres 9 Witch 2’, acryl on wood, 30 cm wide x 30 cm high, year unknown – USD 275 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

For the project The Strength of Women Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi made a video production. This is a fragment:

Several other short videos by Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi:

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on March 25, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on March 25, 2015.

Patricia Ma Ajong in her booth at the International Rotterdam Art Fair 2014, with one of the paintings that is now in the CBK Zuidoost Collection / PHOTO Courtesy Patricia Ma Ajong

The artist Patricia Ma Ajong cannot be confined to one category. Born in Suriname, ancestors from all corners of the world, lived in Paris for a long time, now living in the Netherlands, and currently back in Suriname for a few months. She is determined to do a lot of painting in the coming period.

‘Once I get into the flow of it, one idea after the other comes into my head.’ When Patricia begins working again, she does that by starting with a painting that she is not pleased with. ‘Then I talk to the canvas and say: “We are going to do something with you!”. I am rigorous, I occasionally torpedo the work. This almost always results in something good, but often the other one, the existing work, was also good.’ The artist laughs about it herself. ‘With art works it is just as it is in life. Nothing stays the same, there is constant change. On the canvas, you immortalize the lost moments; you briefly hold on to them. That gives me some peace of mind.’

Patricia Ma Ajong, ‘Watramama” / PHOTO Courtesy Patricia Ma Ajong

A selection from the exhibitions of Patricia Ma Ajong that have been on display in Suriname. In 2009 she had her first solo-exhibition in Suriname, in Galerie Steinhoff: Flying Eye. In 2011 she exhibited in Royal House of Art met Overeind staan (standing upright). This exhibition was subsequently on display at ‘Het Surinaamsch Rumhuis’ (also on Facebook). Soso Oso was on display in Gallery Sukru Oso, in 2012. In 2013 she also participated in the National Art Fair. Early 2014 she participated in the Fashion House 3d edition fashion show, in an original way: the models walked the catwalk not only in clothes, but also with Ma Ajong’s work.

Patricia Ma Ajong with Ton Smit from Stichting Stadsherstel with one of her works from the ‘Oso’-series / PHOTO Patricia Ma Ajong

The theme that she was so successful with in Suriname, is that of the wooden houses that are so typical of the old inner city of Paramaribo. Initially she had hoped to be able to directly contribute to the restoration of the dilapidated houses through the sale of her works, but talks with the foundation ‘Paramaribo Stadsherstel’ assured her that this would be like a drop in the ocean. That is why she has now chosen to, where and when she can, by painting these beautiful, but often run-down homes, bring across a message of awareness to the Surinamese people about preserving this part of our heritage.

Patricia Ma Ajong, ‘Liefde is het huis waarin we wonen’ [Love is the house we live in]’ / PHOTO Courtesy Patricia Ma Ajong

It means a great deal to Patricia that ‘Centrum Beeldende Kunst Zuidoost‘ (also on Facebook), in Amsterdam Zuidoost, the Netherlands) recently purchased three of her works, amongst which also a painting of a typical wooden house. ‘What could be better than having work of myself included and on display in the collection of this Surinamese stronghold in the Netherlands?’ It seems to be recognition of at least one part of her artistry, because the fact that she has Surinamese roots, in any case partially determines her identity. But, as mentioned earlier, she cannot be placed into just one category. ‘I have also heard people say that they think that my work exudes a French atmosphere.’ Passion and love, women and birds: all universal themes that are also seen in the work of this artist. ‘What I paint is about life itself, what you experience, what I discover when I delve into the past… I love those things that I cannot put my hands on. That is what I try to express in my paintings.’

Patricia Ma Ajong, ‘Kadanz’ / PHOTO Courtesy Patricia Ma Ajong

Patricia Ma Ajong, ‘Market’ / PHOTO Courtesy Patricia Ma Ajong

Patricia Ma Ajong, ‘Justice’ / PHOTO Courtesy Patricia Ma Ajong

Patricia Ma Ajong, ‘Crowd’ / PHOTO Courtesy Patricia Ma Ajong

About the artist:

Visual art has always played an important role in the life of Patricia Ma Ajong (Paramaribo, 1960). It is only in recent years however, that she has been able to make her passion for art the center of her being. In the late eighties she studied graphic design in Paris, France. She lived in France for ten years, and after a period in Suriname and Indonesia, she currently lives in the Netherlands. In Jakarta, Indonesia she took courses in oil painting techniques. Several years ago she concluded a study at the ‘Vrije Academie’ in the Hague, the Netherlands. At this moment she is once again spending some time in her country of birth.

She sees her work as the logical outcome of the sum of all parts: her multi-cultural background and the many countries where she has lived and which she has visited. Her motto: ‘Art is the representation of the soul and the source.’

Website: www.maajongpatricia.com

TEXT Marieke Visser, Boxel, November 2014

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

More about Patricia Ma Ajong on the Sranan Art blog can be found here.

The Dutch text was previously published in EFM Magazine (also on Facebook) vol. 4, no. 11, March 2015.

Cover

EFM Magazine vol. 4, no. 11, March 2015, Uitgesproken [Outspoken]

Currently his exhibition Gas Men can be seen from March 19 – April 30, 2015, in Galerie Françoise Heitsch, in Munich, Germany. On March 27 he participated in an artist conversation with Osei Bonsu during a Supporters of Iniva (SI) – Open Forum Event, in London, Great Britain. And in August-September 2015 he will be an artist in residence in Miami, USA, as part of the Cannonball’s Residency Program. Christopher Cozier is everywhere, not limiting himself to one point in place and time. That’s why we re-share this article by Rob Perrée, written for SAX 9.

In February 2014 Christopher Cozier (Port of Spain, 1959) had his first gallery exhibition in the Y Art & Framing Gallery in Port of Spain, the city where he was born and where he lives. I can imagine that with a career of thirty years behind you, you don’t immediately start cheering for such a happening. It is after all, about time. But that was not the reason why he had mixed feelings about it, why had the need to talk about it apologetically. It became even more difficult when the exhibition turned out to be not just a public success, but also a financial success. It made him uncomfortable. Money is necessary and is usually of great help, but for his work process and for the presentation of his work, money is never a deciding factor. That premise seemed disturbed, outside of himself. “Maybe this exhibition marks a change in attitude towards contemporary art here. Then at least it might have been good for that purpose.”, was his ultimate and (temporary) final justification.

The unease however, was not wiped out by it.

Christopher Cozier in front of his work / PHOTO Nadia Huggins

Christopher Cozier, ‘You Know If Them Tings Does Bite?’, ink on paper, 29x50inch / PHOTO Courtesy Christopher Cozier

Cozier showed drawings (“drawing is my handwriting”), screen prints, editions and works in which various techniques are combined. They were works full of references, texts and images ran into one another, sometimes the texts were the image and the images were reminiscent of scenes from a comic strip. Sometimes they seemed like notes on a white sheet of paper or sketches waiting to be further worked out. In the cases where there was any color involved, it was sporadic or pale. A number of works could have easily stood alone, others stood with each other because they were positioned according to time or because together they wanted to tell a story. By paying attention to the details you can discover a lot of humor in such a story.

Cozier would have preferred to see the exhibition as a kind of display of work material, of derivative works, of remnants or of works in the making. As such he failed to take into account an important aspect of his talent: not only does he work from a solid content with various references, but he also has a good feel for strong images. He once started as a graphic designer, and he has never completely lost that graphic signature. That signature naturally knows, that it has to be striking. And when in addition to this, the works are hung neatly framed and set up in a white box, that element is strengthened even further.

I can imagine that he might have ambivalent feelings about that.

Christopher Cozier / PHOTO Courtesy Christopher Cozier

Christopher Cozier, ‘Hiding To Eat’, ink on paper, studies for ‘The Arrest’, 13x18inch / PHOTO Courtesy Christopher Cozier

Christopher Cozier, ‘Hands Up (To The Left)’, ink on paper, studies for ‘The Arrest’, 13x18inch / PHOTO Courtesy Christopher Cozier

Christopher Cozier is next to a man of image, a man of words, of texts, of content, of original ideas which are, at least in his head, always linked with other ideas. For him, a story or a thought is never isolated or something that happens only once. There are other stories from present time, but also from the past, that go along with it. Serious but also funny. Profound, but also commonplace and from the streets. He is an encyclopedic artist.

He collects data and events, he makes notes about moods, about the things that he sees, about the thoughts that present themselves to him at a certain moment. “It’s the sometimes mundane, sometimes crazy everyday of an individual living in Port of Spain.”

Christopher Cozier, 'Development pattern' / PHOTO Courtesy Christopher Cozier

Christopher Cozier, ‘Development Pattern’, mixed media on paper, 36x52inch / PHOTO Courtesy Christopher Cozier

Christopher Cozier, ‘Development pattern’ / PHOTO Courtesy Christopher Cozier

In his long-running project ‘Tropical Night’ – he has been working on it since 2006 – he gives them shape. A-4’s, small ‘paintings’ (or should I call them drawings?), often brownish or reddish, each telling their own story. He hangs them unframed, next to or below one another. Depending on the space available to him, such a collective work can consist of between a hundred and three hundred parts. The composition can also alternate.
As a result, one component can be a scene in multiple stories. In fact ‘Tropical Night’ is a blueprint of the brain, the impression device and the emotions of the artist. Because they resist being recorded, refuse to hide behind one meaning or one explanation, ‘Tropical Night’ can be nothing other than an ongoing project. With it he presents a form of contemporary, visual history writing.
That urge to portray a contemporary history stems from his annoyance with the way in which history, namely colonial history, is usually dealt with. It contains many gaps. On many occasions things are omitted and painful historical facts especially, are glossed over or ‘white-washed’. Reality is violated. For political reasons. For opportunist personal reasons. That will not happen to him. He always takes notes of many things, so that he has access to a rich supply in order to give shape to his thoughts, to substantiate his ideas, to feed his creativity and provide his work with a solid legitimacy.

Christopher Cozier, title unknown / PHOTO Courtesy Christopher Cozier

Christopher Cozier has a special relationship with Suriname. In 2010 he assisted the organization of Paramaribo SPAN – an exchange project between Rotterdam and Suriname –primarily by inspiring and guiding the Surinamese artists in such a way that they dared to stray from their usual paths. Surprising and sometimes unprecedented installations were the result. A year later he was part of the organizing team that worked on the major retrospective exhibition of the work of Marcel Pinas. Since then he has written several essays about Surinamese art(ists) and talks are underway about a new exhibition project in 2015.
Christopher Cozier is not only an exceptional artist, but he is also an original and strong willed critic and curator.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, March 2014

PHOTOS Courtesy Christopher Cozier

More information about Christopher Cozier and his art projects:

Uncomfortable: The Art of Christopher Cozier, a video about Christopher Cozier by Richard Fung, 2005

Draconian Switch no. 11, about Paramaribo SPAN, 2010

Wrestling with the Image: Caribbean Interventions, 2011

David Krut Projects, 2013

In Development, 2013 (essay by Nicholas Laughlin)

Gas Men, 2014

In a new series on An Paenhuysen‘s blog art bloggers from all around the world are featured. Art Blogger of this Week: Marieke Visser in Paramaribo, Suriname talks about Sranan Art Xposed.

It made me realize how important it is to stand still at times and reflect on what you’re doing, where you’re going and where you come from. And also: how good it feels to experience a certain validation of what you’re doing. And of course, that I switch from “I” to “we” ever so often because “I” feel so supported by many people who make “me” part of “we”.

A screenshot from the art blog by An Paenhuysen

A question to which my own answer surprised me. “Do you read other art blogs?” When thinking about that answer I realized that I am much more influenced by (and intersted in) other voices about life in general, or topics like identity, than blogs about art. I wonder why? Perhaps because daily life and art seem so much more intertwined in Suriname? At least that’s true for MY life.

A few of my inspirations:

– Rob Perrée in the Netherlands/USA

– Africanah, Arena for Contemporary African, African-American and Caribbean Art

– Black Girl Gone

– The Belle Jar

– Kunstkieken

– No Black Pete

– Processed Lives

– Dona Dulcinea

– Airform Archives

– Remco de Blaaij.

People I follow on Facebook and/or Twitter: Danny Simmons, Amma Asante, Anne Patterson, Harriet Duurvoort, Kno’Ledge Cesare, Zihni Özdil, Rose-Marie Maitre, Teju Cole, Uncooked Culture, Ronny Edry Pushpin, Proud Rebels, Arturo Desimone, Sunny Bergman.

Other stuff I follow I will add here, and if readers want to add: please feel free to drop me (Marieke Visser) a line at srananart@gmail.com.

– Humans of New York Website Facebook Instagram

– The State of L3 Contemporary Arts & Film Collective Website Facebook

– A Tasty Bit – A culinary blog in Suriname

An, of course, I follow An Paenhuysen. I read An’s name first in an invitation from Node Center for Curatorial Studies, for an online course for Art Criticism and Writing. And then when I started following her blog (via Google+), I just loved her vlog What is art. Short, simple videos about what makes art art.

Every other year, the tropical island of Curaçao hosts a successful Plein Air Festival. During this festival, local and international plein air artists paint outdoors at various locations on Curaçao. With oils, watercolors, pastels and other media these artists bring to life the beauty of Curaçao, its people and its culture to be permanently exposed abroad through paintings in homes, galleries and musea.

The third edition of the Plein Air Curaçao festival, February 26-March 7, 2015, successfully hosted both Plein Air and Plein Eau painting. Artists came from all corners of the world for the 10-day Caribbean art extravaganza. Artist George Struikelblok (Suriname) lent his expertise and enthusiasm to the Curaçao version of “Big Power of Small Blocks” whereby kids from orphanages and other youth group homes created their art by painting on small wooden blocks. Together with blocks painted by local artists, these “Curaçao Cubes” were exhibited and sold. Proceeds went towards the art programs at these institutions. The festival ended with an exciting 3-hour quick-draw competition and bustling street fair in the historic downtown area of Willemstad.

Amigoe, February 27, 2015 1

Amigoe, February 27, 2015 2

Clipping, February 28, 2015

Express, MArch 5, 2015

Explore Curacao, March 2015

AD, March 3, 2015

There was a large delegation from Suriname who participated. Peter Thielen made videos, a series of 11.

From March 9 through March 18, 2017 Art Foundation Curaçao will host the 4^th Plein Air Festival on the tropical island of Curaçao. Local and international artists will paint on land as well as underwater. A variety of media will be used with emphasis on oils, watercolors and pastels. Workshops are given for adults, teens and kids. Paintings made on the last day of the festival are entered in a contest. Paintings made during the festival will be put up for sale.

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Bamboe’ [Bamboo], acrylics on canvas, 75 cm wide x 139 cm high, 2012, by Wilgo Vijfhoven.

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Bamboe’ [Bamboo], acryl on canvas, 75 cm wide x 139 cm high, 2012, from the exhibition ‘Rood’ [Red] – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

In recent years women have been the most important theme of Wilgo Vijfhoven (Paramaribo, 1964). This comes from a genuine admiration. He is impressed with their strength and with the way in which they deal with personal problems such as loneliness and being abandoned. His paintings also indicate clearly however, that the physical beauty of women does not at all elude him.

From this fairly large work that bears the sober title ‘Bamboe’ [Bamboo] (2012), it is clear that for Vijfhoven beauty goes beyond that of women only. He is impressed by the beauty of nature in general. In this specific example, of the bamboo plant.

The painting appears to be a simple portrayal of the reality, but that is not what it is. The artist has searched for ways to emphasize the beauty. In the first place he chooses to paint the image of a detail. In doing so he forces the viewer to take a better look. Aside from that he also wants to convey a certain atmosphere, an almost poetic atmosphere. That is why he puts a yellow haze over the work. And finally he chooses to add, to the painting that is executed in only a few colors, some minimal accents in red to thus draw attention to it. A young robin on a branch and several bamboo leaves that have turned red. The little bird even gets an extra treatment. The white spot places it in the limelight. Here Vijfhoven manipulates reality, seduces the viewer, in order to reach his goal.

This painting has a sibling, ‘Bamboe II’ [Bamboo II], which is done on an even more elongated canvas. That confirms that Vijfhoven has used the shape of his work to strengthen his subject.

The painting of nature is a classic genre in art history. Landscapes were often used to give religious themes a framework or to depict romantic life concepts. The attention for nature was often an excuse for something else. It looks as though Vijfhoven goes for nature without ulterior motives.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, March 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

Want to see this and other work of Wilgo Vijfhoven ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Wilgo Vijfhoven please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/wilgovijfhoven.

More work by Wilgo Vijfhoven available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Bamboe II’, acryl on canvas, 20 cm wide x 90 cm high, 2012, from the exhibition ‘Rood’ [Red] – USD 250 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Pauw’ [Peacock], acryl on canvas, 48.2 cm wide x 139.5 cm high, 2012, from the exhibition ‘Rood’ [Red] – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘The First …’, acryl on canvas, 65 cm wide x 111 cm high, 2014 – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Swinging Beauty’, acrylic on canvas, 80 cm wide x 100 cm high, 2012 – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Model’, acrylic on canvas, 73 cm wide x 109 cm high, 2009 – USD 750 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Kotomisi’, acrylic on canvas, 60 cm wide x 130 cm high, 2010 – USD 675 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Sfeer III’, mixed media on canvas, 71 cm wide x 101 cm high, 2009 – USD 650 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on April 8, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on April 8, 2015.

A visitor at ‘Avo Sondi’ / PHOTO Ada Korbee, 2015

Recently, from April 10 thru April 12, 2015, Isan Corinde had a solo exhibition, ‘Avo Sondi’, in Sukru Oso, Cornelis Jongbawstraat 16, Paramaribo, Suriname. His first solo exhibition showed new roads this young artist is exploring, from two-dimensional he is moving to three-dimensional. Many colleague artists expressed their admiration: Rahied Abdoel, Arti Abhelakh, Marcel Pinas, Els Tjong Joe Wai and many others.

Invitation Avo Sondi

Isan Corinde in ront of one of the owrks from ‘Avo Sondi’ / PHOTO Guillaume Pool, 2015

In 2012 Isan graduated from the Nola Hatterman Art Academy. With his own resources he started a project in Brownsweg, Brokopondo, giving art lessons for school children. This project was ‘Isan ku de mii’ [Isan and the children].

In April 2014 he unveiled an installation in Brokopondo which he had made with the school children: ‘Dii fosu posu futu’.

Isan also participated in the group exhibition Art Boost, with Shaundell Horton, Dakaya Lenz and Jeanet Oord, in Grand Riverside Hotel, Paramaribo, Suriname, May 2013.

Website: http://isancorinde.com

On Sranan Art’s Flickr page there’s a photo report with photos by Edwien Bodjie and Ada Korbee.

Isan Corinde and Convey (Dervin Sno) started a video project in 2014: ‘PROJECT: ISAN 014’.

Sculptural work / PHOTO Edwien Bodjie, 2015

Article in de Ware Tijd about ‘Avo Sondi’

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Love Mood’, giclée on paper, 56 cm wide x 63 cm high, 2009, from Paul Chang.

Paul Chang, ‘Love Mood’, giclée on paper, 56x63cm, 2009 – USD 650 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

When seeing a painting with flowers I am inclined to think about the work of Georgia O’Keeffe. A painting of hers, with flowers, was sold late last year for € 40.000.000. A record amount for work from a female artist. She not only made of her flowers odes to nature – nature in Santa Fe, New Mexico – but also erotic, sensual shapes, which have an irresistible appeal.

Paul Chang certainly does not presume to compete with O’Keeffe. She is one of a kind. Yet the distance between her and Chang is less significant than it seems. He lives and works in a neighborhood – Miami – where the sun and nature are also inextricably linked. That combination results in colors that they are envious of in my chilly, catty homeland. Chang fully exploits them in this work. The colors are crucial to the atmosphere that the work evokes. The title indicates that love was the driving force behind that atmosphere. The love of the one and the eroticism of the other, they are in any case related.

O’Keeffe painted mostly from reality, but by manipulating that reality somewhat, making it slightly rounder, coloring it in some, also literally, she brought a different dimension to it. Chang might use reality as his point of departure, but for him it is sufficient to give only an impression thereof. Moreover, he seems to compose shapes and colors. Reality is made subordinate to the composition. He does not choose the photo-realism of his American colleague. In his work the brush strokes are clearly visible, sometimes mixed, and they ensure a certain liveliness.

The new works of Paul Chang are abstracter than those in the series which ‘Love Mood’ (2009) is part of. That creates curiosity about the further development of his oeuvre. The use of color is a constant though.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, April 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

Want to see this and other work of Paul Chang ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Paul Chang please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/paulchang.

More work by Paul Chang available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Paul Chang, ‘Sawgrass I’, giclée on canvas, 38x40cm, 2013 – USD 250 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Paul Chang, ‘Savannah trees’, giclée on paper, 38x38cm, 2008 – USD 275 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Paul Chang, ‘Savannah’, acryl on canvas, 76x90cm, 2011 – USD 900 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Paul Chang, 'Fish', acrylic on canvas, 76x90cm, 2013 - USD 900 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Paul Chang, ‘Fish’, acrylic on canvas, 76x90cm, 2012 – USD 900 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on April 22, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on April 22, 2015.

“I obtain the most beautiful colors from flower petals, the most beautiful shapes from seeds and seed pods. The seeds of the African tulip*, a large tree with red flowers, that I brought with me from Suriname, are wonderful to work with. Airy, translucent, filling and at the same time creating space and depth.”

Jon Daamen, ‘Omhoog’ [Up]. Jon Daamen: “This collage is made with flower petals from roses and bougainvillea from my garden here and also with flower petals from the flamboyant that stood in our garden in Togo. Coming from Suriname are the ‘fayalobi’-flowers, the Spathodea-seeds and the ‘speldeknoppen’. And then there are also ‘fijnbos’ flowers from the most Southern part of Africa in it.” / PHOTO Niels Bastiaensen

In her studio in Tuinplaas on the South African Cape, Jon Daamen is busily experimenting. She makes two-dimensional collages from natural material and thus portrays landscapes with great atmospheres. The type of creations for which she became well known when she lived and worked in Suriname. Because of her move to South Africa, her artistry was put on the back burner for many years, until an unexpected visit to her former home country rekindled the spark. Halfway through 2014 she was briefly in Suriname for the first time in 17 years. She left with a bag filled with seeds and pods. And with a heart filled with inspiration to start making art again.

But picking the thread back up after such a long hiatus is a struggle … She has explored Surinamese nature as few others have during the 25 years that she lived there. She is not as yet familiar with African plants; she has never before worked with them.

Zon’ (Sun) Jon Daamen: “A collage from the Surinamese days. The butterflies are from Spathodea-seeds. I found the two other materials at the Costerie creek. The collage Jon Daamen, ‘Zon’ [Sun]. Jon Daamen: "'Zon' was made years ago in Suriname. By now too old to remove the glass from it, because the leaves have become extremely fragile and brittle.”

Jon Daamen, ‘Zon’ [Sun]. Jon Daamen: “‘Zon’ was made years ago in Suriname. By now too old to remove the glass from it, because the leaves have become extremely fragile and brittle.” / PHOTO Niels Bastiaensen

“I struggle with Cape landscapes, Surinamese skies and two kinds of light. And because my work is often suggestive, a mixture of accents and emptiness, it has to be just right to be recognizable for others. The images in my mind’s eye cannot be compared to the reality of here and now. Light in Suriname falls totally different from the way it does here, because here the sun sits much lower and throws much longer shadows. In the early mornings it often looks as though everything is bathed in silver and as night falls we have a more orange-tinted light. The long shadows give a lot of depth to the landscape.”

For her African work she uses, just as she did in Suriname, seeds, pods, dried leaves of shrubs, trees and flowers. But also ‘kapok’, tufts of horsehair that she finds in the barbed wire around her farm, feathers and insect wings. And sometimes also fish or turtle scales and the sloughed off skin of snakes, but only those that she finds, she doesn’t kill anything for it.

Jon Daamen, ‘After the fires’. Jon Daamen: “This work is made with kapok in front of the clouds and termite wings in front of the water around the reeds in the foreground, both from Togo. From Suriname are the ‘speldeknoppen’ (Syngonanthus umbellatus, Eriocaulaceae-family), a Savannah plant. The stems are the fallen tree trunks, the heads are the sheep or brushes in the background, and the young whole plants stand like reeds in the foreground. For the burned down trees on the mountain face I used the tops of protea-stamens and for the mist flurries, the middle part of those same stamens. The smoke is horse hair that got stuck in my barbed wire. It is called ‘After the Fires’ because the whole has an atmosphere of a morning after the rains that extinguished the large fire of Hermanus. Two years ago, after a weekend on the farm, we drove away in the early morning completely bewildered by a fascinating landscape of blackened mountains, wisps of smoke and white clouds against a background of a lagoon flooded in silver morning light. The image is engraved in my memory and when I began working with black, silver and white, it came out automatically.”Work in progress: ‘After the fires’ / PHOTO Niels Bastiaensen

Work in progress: 'After the fires' / PHOTO Niels Bastiaensen

Work in progress: ‘After the fires’ / PHOTO Courtesy Jon Daamen

Because of her residence on three continents, she recognizes forms and landscapes from all over, in all kinds of natural materials, even in stamen and cauliflowers. Only the surroundings are different. In South Africa everything is easy on the eye and arranged in planes and groups. Is that why the experimental collages that Jon Daamen currently makes are much fuller than what she previously did? She thinks this is indeed the case. “The images I make now are abstracter, wilder and fuller. Maybe because I do in fact miss the fullness, the messiness, the colorfulness of Paramaribo.”

Baardskeerdersbos Art Route

On April 18 & 19, 2015, the collages of Jon Daamen were part of an exhibition in the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route, an attractive and much visited initiative from the artist village of the same name, where the painters, photographers, sculptors, ceramists and guest artists open their homes for the public three times a year. Incorporated in the work that Jon Daamen has shown there, are seeds obtained from the pods that she picked up under the Spathodea at the Van ’t Hogerhuysstraat in Paramaribo.

* Spathodea campanulata, better known as African Tulip

Jon Daamen / Courtesy Jon Daamen

TEXT Chandra van Binnendijk

Chandra van Binnendijk (Paramaribo, 1953) is editor and publicist. From 1977 until 1988 she was part of the news editors of various newspapers and radio stations, and was a correspondent for various Caribbean media. After ten years she said goodbye to active journalism and is since focusing mostly on culture, art and history. She has co-written several art publications amongst which Twintig jaar beeldende kunst in Suriname 1975 – 1995 (Amsterdam, KIT Publishers,
1995) and she was author and compiler of the art catalogue Zichtbaar (Paramaribo, 2005) about the art collection of De Surinaamsche Bank. Recent publications in which she was involved as co-author and co-compiler are Bouwstenen voor een betere wereld. 250 jaar vrijmetselarij in Suriname (Paramaribo, 2011) and TOR. A People’s Business (Paramaribo, 2012).

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Composition’, acrylics on canvas, 126 cm wide x 110 cm high, 2015, from Rinaldo Klas.

Rinaldo Klas, ‘Composition’, acrylics on canvas, 126 cm wide x 110 cm high, 2015 – USD 1400 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This recent work by Rinaldo Klas (Moengo, 1954) surprised me. In recent years his work was generally figurative. They were based on reality, albeit somewhat stylized. The environment surrounding the people or the animals was abstracted. You could venture a guess at the identity, but it was not clearly given. There was often a social message hidden within. For Klas for example, nature, the preservation of nature, is an important theme.

This work is completely different. My first association is an explosion of shapes and colors. This assumes a high degree of coincidence. That is not so. There is after all a reason why Klas calls it a ‘Composition’. Those apparently random shapes and colors have been composed indeed. The colorful, whimsical shapes disperse from a center – black hole? – in a shape resembling a star. They partially overlap and at the same time they manage strengthen each other. The image is full of movement. Not in the least because the strokes and the splatters of paint are engaged in some sort of battle. Was Pollock looking on over his shoulder? Even though on the whole it seems abstract, there are still enough shapes that stimulate the imagination and that can lead to interpretation. Moreover, an explosion of forms and colors can also symbolize liberation. Is it psychology of the cold soil or is it possible that Klas feels liberated because he no longer has the responsibility of the academy resting on his shoulders?

The public generally expects an artist to stick to a certain style or a specific theme. That makes looking and understanding less complicated. On the other hand however, an artist who always stays within the lines, shows very little in the way of artistic development. I suspect that in this case, Klas was trying something out. Is a painting strong when it limits itself to abstract shapes and colors?

If that was his intention, then he was indeed successful.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, May 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

Want to see this and other work of Rinaldo Klas ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Rinaldo Klas please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/rinaldoklas.

More work by Rinaldo Klas available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Rinaldo Klas, ‘In Space’, acrylics on canvas, 144 cm wide x 110 cm high, 2015 – USD 1500 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Rinaldo Klas, ‘Toekan’, acrylics on canvas, 60 cm wide x 80 cm high, 2015 – USD 800 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on May 6, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on May 6, 2015.

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Untitled 2’, mixed media on paper, 56 cm wide x 42 cm high, 2013, from Kenneth Flijders.

Kenneth Flijders, ‘Untitled 2′, mixed media on paper, 50 cm wide x 42 cm high, 2013 – USD 300 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

The first association that comes to mind is an ancient petroglyph. Somewhere in a deep cave in France. This is most likely due to the earthy colors.

The striking thing is that Kenneth Flijders (Paramaribo, 1956) usually paints from reality, figuratively, with colors that are inspired by that reality, but which are inclined to add some extra sparkle, and to exaggerate a little. These often comprise of everyday scenery, scenes from a story, anecdotes.

This work is far removed from reality. It looks like a combination of shapes, or rather a jumble of shapes and lines. They overlap, they connect with each other, and they seek each other out. I consciously use words suggestive of activity, because the whole makes a moving and active impression. This is enhanced by the layers, the suggestion of depth in foreground as well as in background, by the whimsicality of the lines and the various gradations of brown.

It is also possible to look at this work as a top view. Then something remarkable happens. Then those two dark shapes to the left of the surface could be people who contact each other in one way or another. A greeting? A conflict? Shapes become bodies, lines become arms and legs. Your own imagination then takes hold of the work and a story might yet emerge. The suspected abstraction must then perhaps backtrack after all.

Kenneth Flijders says that he likes to experiment, with the material, with the style and with the content.

This work shows how valuable the result of such an experiment can be. The canvas holds an undeniable attraction and it intrigues because it is open to interpretation.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Florence, May 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

Want to see this and other work of Kenneth Flijders ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Kenneth Flijders please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/kennethflijders.

More work by Kenneth Flijders available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Kenneth Flijders, ‘Untitled I’, mixed media on paper, 57 cm wide x 38 cm high, 2013 – USD 300 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kenneth Flijders, ‘Mamio I’, acryl on canvas, 143 cm wide x 140 cm high, 2013 – USD 1200 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

From a series of three: Kenneth Flijders, ‘Every day a drop creates us 3′, mixed media on paper, 100 cm wide x 80 cm high, 2013 – USD 350 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kenneth Flijders, ‘Untitled V’, screenprint, 63 cm wide x 46 cm high, 2010 – USD 225 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kenneth Flijders, ‘I shall call you Adam’, mixed media on hardboard, 55 cm wide x 125 cm high x 2.5 cm deep, 2011 – USD 750 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kenneth Flijders, ‘Untitled 5′, mixed media on paper, 27.5 cm wide x 34.5 cm high, 2012 – USD 200 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Kenneth Flijders ‘brokopondo’ work was chosen as a design for one of the art wraps, a unique product from the Readytex Art Gallery, 180x100cm, 100% cotton / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on May 20, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on May 20, 2015.

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Corn Rows I’, mixed media on canvas, 66 cm wide x 70 cm high, 2014, by Sri Irodikromo.

Sri Irodikromo, ‘Corn Rows II′, mixed media on canvas, 66x70cm, 2014 – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

A regal portrait. This is how you portray dignity, this is what style looks like, this is what you call class. On the one hand this is due to the classic profile of the woman, corresponding to the classical ideals of beauty, much like the profiles of women in Egyptian tombs, but on the other hand the headdress has much to do with it.

At the same time the decorations on her head cause an enigma. It looks as though only her head is adorned, but the decorative elements continue throughout the work. Around the head they are just more accentuated, the colors are sharper, flaming almost. Towards the edges of the work they gradually disappear into nothingness.

Where they originate from remains unclear to me. It looks like a fusion of classical ornaments and Caribbean motifs. Maybe they are just made up and they are only intended to suggest those references. Do their origins really matter? What stands out is that a large part of the ornaments are rimmed with an extra lick of orange paint. It seems put on top of it. By doing so Sri Irodikromo strengthens the layers, the depth that the portrait already has. Moreover, these accents literally give luster to the whole. They play a major role in the color play that is so artfully played out in this work. From large contrasts to smooth transitions. From disappearing to appearing.

Titles are not meant to explain, but to give hints. ‘Corn Rows I’ doesn’t really seem like a title that likes to hint. Rows of corn? What should I think of that? Does the woman have something to do with planting corn? She is much too stately for that. Does the title then have something to do with hair that has been braided onto the head after all?

I have to make do with the certainty of a beautiful work with an uncertain meaning that partially derives its beauty from the mystery that surrounds it. A present-day sibling of the Mona Lisa?

TEXT Rob Perrée, Florence, May 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld

Want to see this and other work of Sri Irodikromo ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Sri Irodikromo please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/sri.

More work by Sri Irodikromo available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Sri Irodikromo, ‘Corn Rows II′, mixed media on canvas, 70x70cm, 2015 – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Sri Irodikromo, ‘Adjuba (vlijtige)’ [Adjuba (industrious)], ceramics, 18x33x15cm, 2008 – USD 400 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Sri Irodikromo, ‘Baka sei’, mixed media on canvas, 68x114cm, 2011 – USD 900 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Sri Irodikromo, ‘Pangi’, mixed media on canvas, 53x77cm, 2012 – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Sri Irodikromo, ‘Blauw Misi’, mixed media on canvas, 70x100cm, 2013 – USD 800 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Sri Irodikromo, bloc note cover, 23/50 – USD 120 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on June 3, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on June 3, 2015.

What: La Verticale de l’Équateur [The vertical of the equator], a solo exhibition by John Lie A Fo

When: June 5-July 12, 2015

Where: Habitation Clément (also on Facebook), Martinique

John Lie A Fo in front of his work / PHOTO Courtesy John Lie A Fo

The exhibition, which is named La Verticale de l’Équateur, opened in Habitation Clément in Martinique on June 5th, 2015. The exhibition is a collaborative effort of the Fondation Clément (also on Facebook) in Martinique and Anne-Marie Pichard-Libert of Galerie l’Encadrier from Cayenne, French Guiana.

John Lie A Fo, ‘Orion’ / PHOTO Courtesy John Lie A Fo

In La Verticale de l’Équateur John Lie A Fo presents twenty large canvases in acrylic paint, which are as we are used to seeing from him, steeped in spirituality. They make reference to the relationship between the spirit world and that of man, and as usual they attest to the artist’s pride in, and fascination with the traditions and the rituals of the different cultures in his home country, Suriname.

John Lie A Fo, ‘Jaran Kepang’ / PHOTO Courtesy John Lie A Fo

In his creation the artist stays true to himself and his expressions, but he does choose to use titles that are more universal. For the occasion of the exhibition a beautiful catalogue has been published, which is also named La Verticale de l’Équateur.

John Lie A Fo, ‘The Red Release’ / PHOTO Courtesy John Lie A Fo

John Lie A Fo, ‘It’s still going on’ / PHOTO Courtesy John Lie A Fo

Good to know: Readytex Art Gallery also has work in stock by John Lie A Fo. Just visit the gallery in Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname. Or take a look on the website.

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Dans 2’ [Dance 2], mixed media on paper, 48 cm wide x 65 cm high, 2014, by Sunil Puljhun.

Sunil Puljhun, 'Dans 2' [Dance 2], mixed media on paper, 48x65cm, 2014 - USD 155 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Dans 2′ [Dance 2], mixed media on paper, 48x65cm, 2014 – USD 450 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

It was a surprise to me, this work. I know Sunil Puljhun (Paramaribo, 1978) as an artist who makes dark and sometimes also gloomy works. A lot of black and gray with here and there a patch of light.

Those works are also dark regarding content: abuse, violence and power are recurring themes.

This work seems to indicate a drastic turnaround. In and partially hidden behind a jumble of cheerful light colors and shapes, is a dancing blue figure. It’s not just the figure that’s whirling, but the shapes are whirling along. Who encourages what or who encourages whom is not entirely clear. It is a cheerful painting.

That proves to be a misunderstanding. Four years ago Puljhun lost his father. As the eldest son it was his responsibility to decide how his father would be laid to rest. In his culture this means taking care of the rituals associated with a Hindu burial. Rituals he knew hardly anything about. He started studying all kinds of rituals and almost inevitably also came across dance, a ritual in which movement and facial expressions have substantive and symbolic meaning. At the same time, during this tragic event surrounded by rituals, he was confronted with himself: who am I really? What does it mean to have Hinduism as my religion? Whereas his dark work is generally speaking about the harsh world out there, in this case it is all about him. That requires a different form also. That is how the trusted black starts making way for color.

I called ‘Dans 2’ a painting. That is not entirely correct. Puljhun has been engaged in digitally altering images for a while now, and in this case the paintbrush has gotten the company of the computer. They work together harmoniously.

It is not clear whether the artist will continue on this ‘light’ path. It could be an incidental step, caused by an incidental event. From it he has in any case learned that there are more options available to him when it comes to expressing himself.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, June 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, Bahamas, 2015

Want to see this and other work of Sunil Puljhun ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Sunil Puljhun please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/sunilpuljhun.

More work by Sunil Puljhun available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Dans 1′ [Dance 1], mixed media on paper, 48x65cm, 2014 – USD 155 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Papegaai V’ [Parrot V], mixed media on paper, 47x63cm, 2012 – USD 155 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Sunil Puljhun, ‘Untitled 2′, mixed media on paper, 47x63cm, 2011 – From: ‘The Weight of Darkness’ – USD 550 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

An Eye for Art: Hanka Wolterstorff – ‘De golfslag van Coronie’

Reducing the distance – Razia Barsatie

An Eye for Art: George Struikelblok – ‘Wan Tranga Famiri′

Sunil Puljhun – Cheerful watercolors, a new direction?

Back to Basics: the ‘Oneliners’ of Els Tjong Joe Wai

An Eye for Art: Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, ‘Zebra’

An Eye for Art: Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Born on the wrong date 1′

Patricia Ma Ajong – Not to be confined to one category

Art in Development from Christopher Cozier

An art blog post about art blogging featuring Sranan Art Xposed!

Surinamese participation in Plein Air Curacao 2015 (clippings & videos)

An Eye for Art: Wilgo Vijfhoven – ‘Bamboe′

Solo exhibition Isan Corinde: ‘Avo Sondi’

An Eye for Art: Paul Chang – ‘Love Mood′

Inspired – Surinamese Inspiration in South-Africa: the Nature Collages of Jon Daamen

An Eye for Art: Rinaldo Klas – ‘Composition′

An Eye for Art: Kenneth Flijders – ‘Untitled 2′

An Eye for Art: Sri Irodikromo –‘Corn Rows I’

John Lie A Fo –‘La Verticale de l’Équateur’ in Habitation Clément, Martinique

An Eye for Art: Sunil Puljhun – ‘Dans 2’ [Dance 2]