My work discusses both theoretically and formally the core questions of the Caribbean individual; the existential problems of global character in which significance in the local sphere, is relevant. Here, through diverse action, become a communicator of the psycho-social attitudes of my community, of a reality, where the message is committed to the Aruban existential situation. Reality of which I am the bearer and which I deconstruct from the condition of the one who goes and returns, of the individual armed with external experiences that needs to integrate his vision on local expressions. This dialogue with the contextual situation owes much to the characteristics and essence of Aruba. Problems such as immigration, globalisation, the insertion of multiple technologies in the Aruban and the Caribbean framework, the dangers associated with the touristic activities that typify Aruba as one of the so-called “useless islands” as well as the accusation of vandalism and delinquency by international media is one of the central focus of my work. My development is marked by my European academic training, since at the age of thirteen I travelled to Holland, in the name of the arts, where later on, I studied at the Faculty of Arts in Utrecht, given the absence in Aruba of an infrastructure conducive to art studies. Not an easy task as inclusion and understanding of “other” cultures is still an issue today in art schools and is far from being (de)solved.

Being high is our culture has been a slogan in Aruba for over thirty years. Artists of my generation transcended this multilayered notion into a plea for the practice of the anthropological deconstruction of the New World in a Eurocentric island culture. Aruba has been part of the Dutch Kingdom since 1636 and just as its neighbouring Caribbean islands and mainland Venezuela has been influenced by other colonial powers. The Dutch historical canon reflects an unprecedented vacuum as it still portrays Dutch history without digging into its colonial past. In the Netherlands, Dutch Caribbean historical-cultural heritage is considered less relevant as compared to heritage of villages in Groningen or Zeeland that bond to the Dutch culture by proximity and its Anglo-Saxon appearance.

When Dutch Caribbeans are asked where one is from, the answers always relate to the indiginous Americas, the Caribbean or Africa, as centres of historical beginnings. Europe is and never was a metaphor of our origin and representation of the New World because of shifting analogies concerning the same base of post-enlightement narrative, the dilemma of how to transform the old to the new. For westerners, the Caribbean remains an anthropological playground; its cultures are capitalised by a narrative that imposes the Eurocentric imagination upon our Caribbean reality. This surrealistic compression of different cultural times in alien geographical and ethno cultural spaces, adds to the brutal historical process which shaped our Caribbean communities. This process marked an identity that was and is built under the stigma of the diverse, the plural, the mixed, ultimately, the exotic.

Still, the idea that ‘the New World is still New’ and inferior to the Old World indisputably lives in the mind of many Antilleans. This battered but still resourceful ideology is a product of the power of colonialism, religious, racial and economic oppression. Simultaneously, it is a resilient and shared alternative world view on nature, humanity, and identity. Caribbean communities are creole laboratories for cultural experiments and innovation in language, arts, spirituality and creativity at large.

While the world spins on, we constantly juggle between nativism and eurocentrism. Nativism was described by Sir Derek Walcott at its best: “We have alien-like trademarks”. We are Creole, but we are not exotic. This poses a dilemma for the Caribbean artists, moving forth between the Caribbean and the Dutch/European realities.

Education

2003 – 2005

Studied at the Sandberg Instituut, Masters education of the Rietveld Art Academy. Master of Fine Arts
Fred. Roeskestraat 98, 1076 ED, Amsterdam
Graphic Design: web & video

1992 – 1997

Studied at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht – Bachelor
Ina Boudier-Bakkerlaan 50, 3582 VA Utrecht
Architectural and Furniture Design

Art Prize / awards / Nominations

2021
Werkbijdrage bewezen talent, stipend by Mondriaan Fund for the arts, The Netherlands

2012
Audience Award, Aruban Flavor Film at the 2^nd Aruba International Film Festival, Aruba

2011
Aruban Flavor Film at the 2^nd Aruba International Film Festival, Aruba
1^st J. C Lampe Prize for young professional in cultural field, Aruba
Best Aruban Short Film at the 2^nd Aruba International Film Festival, Aruba with Muhe Frida – Director of photography

2004
Nomination Micro-award by Siemens mobile short films, montage, Berlin, Germany

1999
Arte ’99, Caribbean Art Festival, installation, 3rd prize (Young Artist Award), Curaçao

1998
E viaje, Painting, 2nd prize, Instituto di cultura, Aruba

Collection Exhibitions

2020
Between Imagery and Body (+Artist talk) with Alydia Wever, Galerie 23, Amterdam, The Netherlands

Collection Exhibitions

2023
Textile Now, collaboration (duo) with Alydia Wever, Textile Museum, Tilburg, The Netherlands 

Selected Collective Exhibitions

2023
Civility vs Violence, Education, Art & Community, Miami New Media Festival, DORCAM, Venezuela, The Caribbean & Aruba

2022
Dutch Caribbean STICUSA Art Edition, Den Haag, The Netherlands

HYBRID DIALOGUES, Miami New Media Festival, puntWG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

“The Mestizo War” & “Trans-Colonialism” for group expo “Anthropical” curated by Alydia Wever at the 13th Havana Biennial, 3 mixed media installations and a video art (video art in collaboration with Alydia Wever), National Library José Martí, Havana, Cuba
2017
“Mare Nostrum. Venezuela, Holanda y Aruba Unidos por el Caribe”, Mixed media, MACZUL, Maracaibo Zulia, Venezuela

2016
“Onvoorziene Kosten (Unforeseen expenses)“, Mixed media, Ateliers Gallery, Art Fair 2016, Aruba

2015
“Caribbean: Crossroads of the World”, “Kima Momo” video Installation, PAMM, Miami, U.S.A.

“Kima Momo” video Installation, UNOCA gallery, Aruba

2014
“Caribbean: Crossroads of the World”, “Kima Momo” video Installation, Queens Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A.

2013
“Last Lap”, Installation & Video (“Kima Momo 58”, 9;35 min.) Tropical Kingdom, Dutch Caribbean Art. Museum de Fundatie, Zwolle, The Netherlands

2012
“TABOO”, Video, “Kima Momo 58”, 9;35 min., Art-film, Landshuis Bloemhof, Willemstad, Curaçao
“Happy Islands”, Installation, Primer Encuentro Bienal Arte Contemporaneo di Caribe Aruba, Oranjestad, Aruba
“Aruba Piano”, Sculpture (mixed media), Play me I’m Yours, Toronto, Canada
“Caribbean: Crossroads of the World”, “Kima Momo” video Installation, Queens Museum of Art, New York, USA
“Who More Sci-Fi Than Us”, “Kima Momo” video Installation, Kunsthal de KAdE, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
“Kima Momo 58”, 9;35 min., Art-film, producer, directing, director of photography & editing, 3^rd trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, NEW MEDIA, Trinidad & Tobago
“A collection for Aruba”, “Kima Momo 58” photography, Kasteel Keukenhof, Lisse, The Netherlands
“Kima Momo 58”, 9;35 min., Art-film, producer, directing, director of photography & editing, 3^rd Aruba International Film Festival, Aruba

2011
“Kima Momo“, projection & performace (by Alydia Wever), The lightbox, Wynwood, Miami, USA
“Double Nothing”, Sculpture (Stone), Aruba Airport Reina Beatrix, Aruba
“Microcosm”, Video Installation, Residence of the Dutch Ambassador in Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., USA
“Muhe Frida”, 12;05 min., director of photography & editing short film, 2^nd Aruba International Film Festival, Aruba (winner best Aruban short film 2^nd Aruba International Film Festival)
“10 Ave Maria”, 12;15 min., co-directing, director of photography & editing short film, 2^nd Aruba International Film Festival, Aruba (winner jury prize best short film at the Trinidad & Tobago International Film Festival)
“Artist for Sale”, Video Installation, expo: Rosea Nobo Ateliers ’89, Oranjestad, Aruba

2010
“10x10x10”, Manipulated Photography, Printed, Art Rap Gallery, San Nicolas, Aruba
“Cambio di Rumbo”, Scenography, video & shade play, Bellen de Pará, Brasil / Cas di Cultura, Aruba

2009
“Caribbean Cross Roads”, interactive video installation & jackpot, Ateliers ’89, Aruba

2008
“Energy“, bronze sculpture, International Sculptures Park & Symposium, Changchun, China
“Mind Your Gap, 50 years anniversary of the Aruban Art and Theatre house [Cas di Cultura]”, concept & leader of 2 art theatre performances using video, interactive media, painting, objects, Aruba
“World One minutes in Beijing”, video: Lekker Weertje, China
“Visionarios”, a traveling videoart festival throughout Latin America and Mexico, video: Happy 2, Sao Paolo, Brazil
“Landings 8”, videos, 9 video projectors in 20 m x 30m black space. Taipei Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan
“Tree of a man”, Slavery Heritage in Aruba, video installation, Aruba
Brah expo, Plexi & light bulb object, Ateliers 89, Aruba
“One in Soul”, Dance theatre event. Abstract video performance/ videoart, Cas di Cultura, Oranjestad, Aruba
Brah expo, Plexi & light bulb object, Ateliers 89, Aruba

2007
“Ecology”, Cactus installation, Insight Gallery, Aruba.
“Landings 5”, manipulated photography, Museum of the American States, Washington DC, USA
“How Far Can You Go”, Installation, Insight Gallery, Aruba
“Landings 4”, videos, art installation & graphic art, Museum of Contemporary Art & Design, San José, Costa Rica

2006
“Our Portrait”, Photo manipulation on canvas, Reina Beatrix Intl. Airport, Aruba
“Landings 3”, videos & video installation, Centro Cultural Eduardo León Jimenes, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
“7^th biennial of Havana, video installation, Cuba (represented Aruba at the biennial)
“Landings 2”, video installation, manipulated photography & graphics, Merida, Mexico

2005
“Culture Catalysts”, Experimenta, video’s, Lisboa, Portugal.
“Time traveling”, V Internationales Kunstfestival Magdeburg, video installation, Magdenburg, Germany
“Oisterwijk’s Sculpture Route”, Pauw Gallery, installation/drawings, Oisterwijk, The Netherlands

2004
“Hole in one”, “Corporate Design Still Suck”, 10 years of Sandberg Institute Design, Post CS, video installation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“Cocktail di Arte”, Ermelo, installation, The Netherlands
“Kunstvlaai 5” art festival, videos, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
“Happy Series”, 50 Years European Cultural Foundation Conference, videos, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“CHEAP”, St. Maria Kapel, video installation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2003
“Beautiful World”, the University of Tilburg, animations, Tilburg, The Netherlands

2002
“Saprofiet”, (Prince Willem Alexander & Maxima) Cas di Cultura, installation, video, Aruba
“Casino”, Art Studio Gallery Insight, video installation, Aruba
“Corona Harmoniosa”, SINFA, installations, San Nicolas, Aruba
“Forever Green”, Art Studio Gallery Insight, installation, Aruba
“Mama Aruba, ken mi ta”, SINFA, installation/sculpture, San Nicolas, Aruba

2001
“Entre Lineas”, (Traveling Caribbean Expo), paintings, 2001 Centro Cariforo, Sto. Domingo, Dominican Republic
“IV Caribbean Biennial”, Museum of Modern Art, installation, St. Domingo, Dominican Republic
“Troubleshooting”, (+ initiator/curator), video animation installations, Eterno, Oranjestad Aruba

2000
“San Sebastian”, Centro de Bellas Artes de Maracaibo, sculpture, Maracaibo, Venezuela
“Millenium”, Galeria Harmonia, sculpture, San Nicolas, Aruba
“Watamula”, International Workshop, Landhuis Kenepa, Performance, objects & installations, Curaçao
“Watamula 2”, Landhuis Bloemenhof, objects, video, and installations, Curaçao

1999
“Madre Patria”, Cas di Culura, sculpture, Oranjestad Aruba
“Auto Retrato”, Instituto di Cultura, installation, Oranjestad, Aruba
“Arte ’99”, Caribbean Art Festival, installation, Curaçao
“Aruba, a new landscape”, National Library, object, Oranjestad Aruba
“Mi pret’i wowo” (The apple of my eye), “Royal”, (Her Royal Majesty Queen Beatrix), installation, Cas di Cultura, Oranjestad Aruba

1998
“50 years Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, installation, instituto di Cultura, Oranjestad, Aruba

1996
“Simiya ’96”, Eterno, design objects, Oranjestad, Aruba