Thursday-Night-Feature: Presentation Kenneth Flijders
What: Thursday-Night-Feature, Presentation Kenneth Flijders (Facebook Event)
When: Thursday June 01, 2017, 19:00-21:00 hrs, presentation starts at 19:30 hrs
Where: Readytex Art Gallery (RAG) (also on Facebook), Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname
Kenneth Flijders: His fondness for the Mahogany tree and the surprising artistic possibilities it offers him
Readytex Art Gallery and visual artist Kenneth Flijders are getting ready for the upcoming Thursday-Night-Feature (TNF) of June 1st. On this evening this seasoned yet humble artist will surprise the public with a special presentation. For a very long time now, and for several reasons, Kenneth Flijders has been fascinated with the Mahogany tree. The important role that this tree plays in his life has a lot to do with his great love for plants and his genuine interest in everything of special historical value to Suriname, but it is especially important because of his career as an artist.
Kenneth Flijders is an artist who, throughout his career, is known to sculpt, to paint, make various types of prints, but who above all likes to experiment with different materials and surfaces. In his work he has used palm fibers, the natural handmade paper from his students at ‘Stichting Matoekoe’, he has painted on old discarded doors and windows that would normally have ended up as garbage, and at one point he discovers that he can paint beautifully with an extract obtained from left over pieces of Mahogany wood. In his workplace, wood from old fallen over or removed Mahogany trees is transformed into unique sculptures such as his famous and quite realistic watermelon and pumpkin pieces, but also into a new experimental pigment, which he successfully paints with on canvas and paper.
On this upcoming TNF Kenneth Flijders will talk about, and demonstrate, how he uses Mahogany tree remnants to make the rich reddish-brown extract that he uses to paint with. He will also talk about his particular affinity for the Mahogany tree and he will exhibit several of the works of art in which he has used the extract. In his own garden Kenneth Flijders plants and grows several of these trees and he will also incorporate a number of small Mahogany trees in his presentation. Everybody is welcome to join us in Readytex Art Gallery for this special presentation of Kenneth Flijders at the TNF of Thursday June 1st. Doors are open from 7:00pm-9:00pm and the presentation starts at 7:30pm.
Kenneth Flijders / PHOTO Courtesy Readytex Art Gallery
Thursday-Night-Feature: Open House Readytex Art Gallery
What: Thursday-Night-Feature, Open House Readytex Art Gallery (Facebook Event)
When: Thursday May 04, 2017, 19:00-21:00 hrs
Where: Readytex Art Gallery (RAG) (also on Facebook), Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname
At the upcoming Thursday-Night-Feature on May 4th, Readytex Art Gallery welcomes guests for yet another relaxing ‘Open House’ presentation in which we celebrate good company and great art. As we do for every new TNF, the art presentation in the entire gallery is switched up with different works from our substantial stock of fine art. Noteworthy this month is that the exhibition on the first floor has been put together by one of our own most experienced artists, in this case fulfilling the role of guest curator, Kenneth Flijders. Don’t miss this special presentation in which Kenneth Flijders displays works from artists whose imagery deals with social themes in Suriname and abroad. Doors open from 19:00-21:00 hrs.
Kenneth Flijders & Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld
‘Kumbat’tey’ by John Lie A Fo
What: Kumbat’tey by John Lie A Fo
When: Friday April 7-Saturday April 15, 2017. Opening hours are Monday thru Friday from 08:00am-04:30pm and on Saturday from 08:30am-01:30pm. Extra opening nights on Friday April 7 and Saturday April 8 from 07:00pm-09:00pm. The gallery is closed on Friday April 14.
Where: Readytex Art Gallery (RAG) (also on Facebook), Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname
John Lie A Fo, Legacy, mixed media on canvas, 124 x 110 cm, 2017 / PHOTO Courtesy Readytex Art Gallery, 2017
Readytex Art Gallery (RAG) is about to present her first large solo exhibition of this year. In the spotlight this time around, is an interesting Surinamese artist who hasn’t had a solo exhibition in Suriname for a long time, 35 years to be exact. A bit surprising, because although he hasn’t lived here for quite some time, the artist as well as his work are undoubtedly proud representatives of Surinamese culture and Surinamese identity. High time therefore, for a special presentation of the engaging work of artist John Lie A Fo here in the country where he was born and where his ‘kumbat’tey’ (umbilical cord) was buried.
With the exhibition Kumbat’tey, Readytex Art Gallery has quite a surprise in store for visitors, especially those that are not yet familiar with the work of Lie A Fo. The explosions of color, the bold imagery and the uncurtailed expressiveness in the work of this artist will hold the attention and fuel the imagination of viewers for quite some time. Visual artist Lie A Fo is driven entirely by his feelings and by his passion for the culture, the traditions and the rituals of his country. He does not restrict himself to one culture, but he proudly considers every culture present in Suriname his own, and that is the essence conveyed throughout his work. Rituals and symbols of the Maroons, the Indigenous, the Javanese and the Chinese are all represented in his current collection. And although the cultural elements are undoubtedly recognizable for the true Surinamese, his work does not contain a literal portrayal of those cultures. His imagery, just like his own personality, is characterized by exuberant, free and unrestrained expression. He is in no way constrained by reality, but gives free reign to his creativity and his imagination, which often results in compositions that incorporate elements that are somewhat playful, surprising and even a bit unexpected. And in addition to culture, the collection also deals with other subjects that Lie A Fo is interested in or concerned with. Birds, free in nature, the disabled children that he works with in French Guyana, the painful subject of the child-slaves in Haiti, in short everything that makes an impression on this warm and passionate artist, will at some time or another find its way into the imagery on his canvas.
The undeniable and universal appeal of the art of Lie A Fo makes a strong impression not only in French Guyana where the artist currently lives and works, but also on visitors at his earlier exhibitions in Europe and the Caribbean. And starting from Friday the 7th of April it will be the Surinamese public that gets to enjoy the new collection of art works that John Lie A Fo presents in his solo exhibition Kumbat’tey at Readytex Art Gallery. The exhibition is on display in the gallery until Saturday the 15th of April. Opening hours are Monday thru Friday from 08:00am-04:30pm and on Saturday from 08:30am-01:30pm. Extra opening nights on Friday April 7 and Saturday April 8 from 07:00pm-09:00pm. The gallery is closed on Friday April 14.
A sneak preview …
Thursday-Night-Feature: Open House Readytex Art Gallery
What: Thursday-Night-Feature, Open House Readytex Art Gallery (Facebook Event)
When: Thursday March 02, 2017, 19:00-21:00 hrs
Where: Readytex Art Gallery (RAG) (also on Facebook), Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname
The Thursday-Night-Feature (TNF) of Readytex Art Gallery for the month March is right around the corner. This upcoming TNF is planned according to a slightly different concept. This Thursday night will simply be a pleasant ‘Open House’ intended to give visitors the opportunity to stroll through the gallery at their leisure, thus allowing them to fully enjoy the new selection of works that the gallery team has put on display especially for this occasion. In order to enhance the visitor’s experience, most artists will also be present and available on this evening to speak with anybody who wishes to do so.
As is customary, the ground floor of the gallery will display a mixed collection of artworks from all of the artists represented by Readytex Art Gallery. Therefore, those guests who find it difficult to navigate the stairs do not need to do so in order to enjoy a beautiful exhibition of artworks. All artists do however have work on display in a separate spot on one of the gallery’s other three floors. Readytex Art Gallery currently represents a group of 19 ambitious core and guest artists, whom collectively ensure that there is always a beautiful, stimulating and varied collection of art on view for the visitors.
At Readytex Art Gallery you will thus always find works of art from (in alphabetical order): Reinier Asmoredjo, Paul Chang, Leonnie van Eert, Kenneth Flijders, Shaundell Horton, Soeki Irodikromo, Sri Irodikromo, Rinaldo Klas, John Lie A Fo, Kurt Nahar, Sunil Puljhun, Dhiradj Ramsamoedj, Xavier Robles de Medina, Roddney Tjon Poen Gie, Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, René Tosari, Steven Towirjo, Wilgo Vijfhoven and Hanka Wolterstorff.
Readytex Art Gallery gladly invites everyone to visit the ‘Open House’ on the TNF of Thursday March 2nd. It is sure to become a leisurely evening filled with art and stimulating conservations for artists and art lovers alike. And who knows what else the night has in store; some interesting art discussions perhaps? We would like to encourage our guests to use this opportunity to speak with the artists whose work they are interested in. Barring a few, most of the artists living in Suriname will be present. And of course the team of Readytex Art Gallery will also be available for any questions or comments you may have.
A recent picture with most of the Readytex Art Gallery core artists and team members
Thursday-Night-Feature: Photo Exchange Suriname Greece
What: Thursday-Night-Feature, Photo Exchange Suriname Greece
When: Thursday February 03, 2017, 19:00 hrs (doors open 19:00 hrs, start presentation 19:30 hrs) – exhibition February 03-11, 2017
Where: Readytex Art Gallery (RAG) (also on Facebook), Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname
On the second Thursday-Night-Feature (TNF) of the year 2017 Readytex Art Gallery once again offers her visitors an interesting and different presentation, this time in a special collaboration with the Surinaamse Fotografen Vereniging (SuFoV) (on Facebook). On Thursday February 2nd Readytex Art Gallery (also on Facebook) will host a video exhibition of the photo exchange between SuFoV in Paramaribo and the Hellenic Photography Society in Athens, Greece. SuFoV was founded in 1993 and currently has approximately 50 members whom practice the art of photography professionally or as an amateur. The Hellenic Photography Society has it’s origins in 1952.
Both organizations are members of the Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique (FIAP) (on Facebook), an international organization with more than 85 member-countries. The FIAP aims to promote collaboration between photographers from different countries and to promote photography in general throughout the world. During regular contact between Greek and Surinamese FIAP liaison officers in June 2016, the idea for a photography exchange project was born. Suriname is mostly unknown amongst Greeks and the SuFoV members were immediately enthusiastic about the opportunity to portray their country in a positive way abroad. On Thursday February 2nd the video exhibition opens simultaneously in the photo gallery of the Hellenic Photography Society in the center of Athens, Greece and in Readytex Art Gallery in the center of Paramaribo, in Suriname.
The exchange offers photographers from both countries the opportunity to present their countries to viewers from another part of the world in a positive and creative way, through their work. At the same time they also get the opportunity to showcase their photographic skills on a broader international platform.
At the video exhibition in Suriname the digital photos of the Greek and Surinamese participants are shown on three specially installed television screens in Readytex Art Gallery. Everyone is welcome to join this interesting presentation. The doors of the gallery open at 7:00 pm and the presentation starts at 7:30 pm.
After the opening presentation on the TNF of February 2nd, the video exhibition of the photo exchange between SuFoV and the Hellenic Photography Society will remain on display in the gallery, although on one screen, up until Saturday February 11th.
The opening hours of the gallery are from Monday–Friday from 8:00am–4:30pm and on Saturday from 8:30am–1:30pm.
In addition to enjoying the video exhibition, guests at the TNF on Thursday February 2nd, can of course also take a moment to enjoy all of the visual artworks on display throughout the gallery. All floors are newly decorated with works of art selected from our storage by curator and visual artist Rinaldo Klas and the RAG team.
‘Round & Around’, Reinier Asmoredjo, Readytex Art Gallery
What: Round & Around, solo exhibition Reinier Asmoredjo
When: Friday November 18 thru Saturday 26, 2016. Opening hours: Monday thru Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm and on Saturday from 8:30am-1:30pm. Extra opening hours in the evenings on Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th of November from 7:00-9:00 pm
Where: Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname
Reinier Asmoredjo believes that it is important, as a Surinamese artist, to create works with a clear Surinamese identity. That identity has indeed always been front and center in his work. Viewers of Asmoredjo’s work inevitably find themselves almost seduced by the warmth and the energy of the sun, the beauty of the Surinamese flora en fauna and the sensual allure of the Surinamese woman, portrayed so well on his canvasses.
The imagery in the collection is vibrant and colorful, recognizable, but in part also new, abstract, and at the same time also figurative. The familiar elements in the work of Asmoredjo, such as the sun, nature, flowers, fruit, birds, fish, and especially Surinamese women, are again the common thread throughout the work in his new collection. Important therein are the circles, as seen in the shape of the sun and now also as an extra visual detail at the end of the sun’s rays, and very importantly also in the rounded shapes of the female body. They symbolize fertility, the never-ending cycle of life; all the things that make the world turn around: Round & Around.
But in addition to circles, straight linear elements also play an important role in this new collection. Strong profiles with prominent lips, round breasts and derrieres are strengthened in image by elegant long stretched necklines, horizontally extended linear coiffures, and consciously applied lines and stripes. Finding the right balance between the abstract and the figurative is the challenge that Asmoredjo consciously and wholeheartedly takes on every time he sets to work. And he is usually quite successful! This is not really surprising, since each of the artist’s compositions is worked out meticulously in sketch before he even approaches the canvas. Abstract and figurative come together beautifully in a diverse and colorful collection of more than 30 paintings in various sizes. Vitality, beauty, strength and sensuality radiate from his canvasses in a typical and striking way.
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Morning Breeze’, acrylic on canvas, 47x74cm / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery, 2016
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Sarong’, acrylic on canvas, 73x100cm / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery, 2016
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Fon Ksaba’, acrylic on canvas, 100x152cm / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery, 2016
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Reincarnation’, acrylic on canvas, 100x152cm / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery, 2016
‘A Reflex’, exhibition by Roosje Verschoor & Isidoor Wens
What: A Reflex (Facebook), art from Botopasi by Roosje Verschoor and Isidoor Wens. An exhibition about the beauty of plastic and the charm of clay
When: September 28 thru 30, 2016
Where: Stichting Surinaams Museum, Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo
Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/1701634583486028/
Both artists have spent seven weeks at Art Center Botopasi (ARTCEB), in the interior of Suriname. They were two completely opposite ideas in progress, which followed each other like a response. The result can be seen in Botopasi, Paramaribo, Den Bosch and Amsterdam.
Roosje was inspired by what she saw in the community and explored the aesthetics of it. Her work comments on the large number of brightly colored plastic that she saw every day on the river, in the kitchens and on the heads of the women of Botopasi. She became fascinated by the amount of color and variety. She has tried to research the status and beauty of the plastic stuff. By examining the different possibilities of plastic she got the opportunity to show similarities between the two very different worlds of Amsterdam Botopasi.
Isidoor, who is immensely annoyed by all that plastic, tries to think back, to the time that his grandmother made clay plates. In protest he does not eat or drink from plastic plates or cups. He collected different kinds of clay and made sculptures. His images are inspired by the female torso, a form that has played a major role in his work throughout his career. This form, as well as the medium itself: clay, emphasizes the naturalness. The female form represents Mother Earth, but is also a symbol of fertility.
Tembe Tori, August 2016, number 13 has arrived
A new issue of newsletter Tembe Tori is out! Number 13 has an udate about the artists-in-residence in Moengo, and looks at the upcoming Moengo Festival, September 23, 24 & 25, 2016! Download your pdf here: Tembe_Tori, August 2015, number 13.
What: Moengo Festival 2016 ‘Poku fu kenki II’
When: September 23, 24 & 25, 2016
Where: Moengo, Marowijne, Suriname
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In April 2012 the first edition of Tembe Tori was published. One page, printed with black ink on both sides, with news about former mining town Moengo. During a few months Tembe Tori was distributed regularly in the Moengo community and in Paramaribo. A good way to reach the people in Moengo, a small town in the Marowijne district in Suriname, where artist Marcel Pinas has established the Kibii Foundation, the Tembe Art Studio, the Contemporary Art Museum Moengo and the Marowijne Art Park. Although Tembe Tori served its purpose well, the 9th edition just never came … Until June 2015.
Tembe Tori, number 9 is now a fact. And starting with this edition, the newsletter has four pages and is printed in full color. In addition, Tembe Tori is currently also available digitally so people anywhere in the world can read up on what’s happening in Moengo. Available in Dutch only, Tembe Tori will be published monthly until at least September when the Moengo Festival will be held for the 3d time.
Distribution points:
Tembe Tori, November 9, 2012, number 6
Tembe Tori, June 2015, number 9
Tembe Tori, July 2015, number 10
Tembe Tori, August 2015, number 11
Thursday-Night-Feature: presentation ‘Rebels in Surinamese Art’
What: Thursday-Night-Feature, presentation by Chandra van Binnendijk & Marieke Visser about ‘Rebels in Surinamese Art’ (Facebook Event)
When: Thursday August 04, 2016, 19:00 hrs (doors open 19:00 hrs, start presentation 19:30 hrs)
Where: Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname
Kurt Nahar
At Readytex Art Gallery every start of a new month, means that it is time for yet another Thursday-Night-Feature. So indeed, on Thursday the 4th of August the gallery once again opens her doors between 7:00 and 9:00 pm, for a special presentation about art. In this Thursday-Night-Feature Chandra van Binnendijk and Marieke Visser present the results of their search for rebels in Surinamese art.
The writers argue that Suriname does not have an artistic climate in which stimulating debates take place. Nor is there a lively forum for dynamic views and criticisms. Still the visual arts here are not in the least a lethargic affair. In their presentation Van Binnendijk and Visser illustrate that there is indeed art created that does not easily fit into the standard models for contemporary art. Art made by artists who go against the grain of what the establishment considers acceptable.
This Thursday-Night-Feature will discuss artists who have ventured beyond the ‘the main stream’. On this evening the writers pay tribute to the rebels. Especially for the presentation the first floor of the gallery will display works fitting of the theme, selected by Chandra and Marieke, and the staff of Readytex Art Gallery.
A richly illustrated article on this subject has been published, in English, on the international art website Africanah.org, Arena for Contemporary African, African-American and Caribbean Art: http://africanah.org/looking-for-rebels-in-surinamese-art/. A Dutch version of the article has appeared in de Ware Tijd, July 30 2016, in the section ‘Mens & Maatschappij’.
Those who wish to hear, see and talk more about this subject are welcome on this Thursday, the 4th of August, at the Thursday-Night-Feature of Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. Doors open at 7:00 pm and the presentation (with slide-show) of Chandra van Binnendijk & Marieke Visser: ‘Looking for rebels in Surinamese art’, starts at 7:30 pm.
Thursday-Night-Feature: Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi – ‘Caged’
What: Thursday-Night-Feature, exhibition and presentation by Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi (Facebook Event)
When: Thursday July 07, 2016, 19:00 hrs (doors open 19:00 hrs, start presentation 19:30 hrs)
Where: Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo, Suriname
Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Caged 08’, acrylic on canvas, 80x80cm, 2016, featured image for ‘Caged’ / PHOTO Courtesy Readytex Art Gallery, 2016
Each first Thursday of the month, Readytex Art Gallery opens her doors from 19:00 to 21:00 pm, for a special exhibition or activity, known by now as the Thursday-Night-Feature.
At the upcoming Thursday-Night-Feature on July 7th, Readytex Art Gallery once again features an artist from her own group of partner-artists, Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi.
On this night Kit-Ling will use the ground floor of the gallery to present a new series of artworks titled Caged. The artist came up with idea for Caged, based upon the concept that mankind is ‘caged’. ‘Caged’ by political systems, corruption, religion and much more. Inspired by the Surinamese environment, the concept got its own unique form. In addition to her new artworks, Kit-Ling will also delve into Readytex Art Gallery’s storage to select some of her previous works and work from other artists, to add to her exhibition. Aside from being the featured artist, Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi also takes on the role of curator for her exhibition Caged.
The Thursday-Night-Feature of Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi also includes a presentation. In it the artist will among other things reflect on the fact that she was the first graduate of the first accredited Surinamese study ‘Tekenen (Drawing) MO-A’, 40 years ago, at a time when the AHKCO and the Nola Hatterman Institute did not yet exist.
Artist’s page on the Readytex Art Gallery website: here.
Article in Calabash, a Journal of Caribbean Arts and Letters, Vol. 4 (2006), Nr. 1 (Spring-Summer): Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi, ‘Self-portrait of the Artist Speaking in the Third Person’
