IDENTITIES – Contemporary Caribbean perspectives

The Dutch-Caribbean identity cannot be confined to a single location, language, or culture. Its diversity is intertwined with the colonial and recent histories of the islands. Artists Quinsy Gario, Rachel Morón, Kevin Osepa, and quest-curator Sara Blokland provide a critical contemporary perspective on these histories and identities. They draw inspiration from the museum’s collection and archives, among other sources. By combining existing and new works, they trace and unravel both familiar and lesser-known stories about Dutch colonial relations and contemporary issues concerning identity and representation.

In her work, Rachel Morón reflects on her Jewish-Caribbean family history, shaped by migration, the impact of anti-Semitism, and the process of building a new life in the Caribbean. Quinsy Gario blends his own family archives with objects from the museum’s collection to create new ‘historical’ narratives. Through this approach, he contemplates the relationship between institutional and private collections, as well as the transmission and recording of information. In Sara Blokland’s work, the spotlight is not on the museum’s collection itself, but on the events that unfold behind the scenes. She employs museum props to focus on how museums construct their ‘colonial narratives’. Lastly, modern spiritual experiences play a significant role in Kevin Osepa’s work. Through his poetic videos and installations, he examines the influence of religion, masculinity, and gender perception in Curaçao and Dutch society.

 

Concept, compilation and realization

Sara Blokland (curator) /Wereldmuseum

Participating artists

Quinsy Gario, Rachel Morón, Kevin Osepa en Sara Blokland

Exhibition design

Studio Wendy Rommers

Project management

Imke Asmussen (MetImke)

Graphic production

SwoonSign

Translations

Nathifa Martina- Palabricks (Papiaments)

Henriette Schoenmaker (Engels)

Technical implementation

Robin van Hamburg  (RB Productie bv)

Martijn Hollander (K-tijn Studio)

Edwin van Helden (Klusburowijk 13)

This exhibition was jointly made possible by

The research project ‘Imagining the Nation in the Classroom: A Study of the Politics of Belonging and Nationness on Sint Maarten & Sint Eustatius’
funded by NWO – The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research[Caribbean Research Programme, grant number 858.14.33].

With very special thanks to  Wayne Modest and the RCMC