Refresh Amsterdam - War and Conflict
Installation Mokkum not Mokum by Artist Sithabile Mlotshwa produced for the Refresh Amsterdam Biennale#2 at the Amsterdam Museum, 7 October 2023 - Febraury 2024.
About the Installation MOKKUM – not Mokum, 2023 (EN)
The female figure in this installation is a symbol of Amsterdam. Her dress is a collage of canvas heads and bodies. Visual artist Sithabile Mlotshwa cut out these different shapes of people who sought refuge in Amsterdam. Their backgrounds are diverse: from asylum seekers labelled as “undocumented” persons and individuals fleeing Ukraine, to members of diverse communities associated with the African diaspora and from Suriname. She gave each group their own place; some are safe under the skirts of the city, while others hang on to the trailing train, exposed to the elements.
About the Installation MOKKUM – not Mokum, 2023 (EN)
The female figure in this installation is a symbol of Amsterdam. Her dress is a collage of canvas heads and bodies. Visual artist Sithabile Mlotshwa cut out these different shapes of people who sought refuge in Amsterdam. Their backgrounds are diverse: from asylum seekers labelled as “undocumented” persons and individuals fleeing Ukraine, to members of diverse communities associated with the African diaspora and from Suriname. She gave each group their own place; some are safe under the skirts of the city, while others hang on to the trailing train, exposed to the elements.
Amsterdam is often typified as a tolerant and hospitable city. The title MOKKUM – not Mokum refers to the enslaved Catrina Mokkum, who worked and lived on the Surinamese plantation Rest en Work in the 19th Century. Through her work, Mlotshwa critically addresses how welcoming Amsterdam actually is—and for whom. Human rights are universal, and yet asylum seekers and non-whites are still discriminated against. She interviewed a number of Amsterdammers from the city’s different districts about these subjects. Pieces of the conversations can be read in this space.
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About the Installation MOKKUM – not Mokum, 2023 (NL)
De vrouwenfiguur in deze installatie staat symbool voor Amsterdam. Haar jurk is een collage van papieren hoofden en lichamen. Beeldend kunstenaar Sithabile Mlotshwa knipte verschillende vormen uit van mensen die hun toevlucht zochten in Amsterdam. Hun achtergrond is divers: aziel zoekers genoemd “ongedocumenteerde” personen, mensen op de vlucht uit Oekraïne tot personen van de Afrikaanse diaspora en uit Suriname. Zij gaf elke groep een eigen plek; sommigen veilig onder de rokken van de stad en anderen achter op de sleep van de jurk, blootgesteld aan weer en wind.
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Amsterdam wordt vaak getypeerd als een tolerante en gastvrije stad. De titel MOKKUM – not Mokum verwijst naar de tot slaafgemaakte Catrina Mokkum, die werkte en woonde op de Surinaamse plantage Rust en Werk in de 19e eeuw. Met haar werk bevraagt Mlotshwa kritisch hoe verwelkomend Amsterdam eigenlijk is – en voor wie. Mensenrechten zijn universeel, maar toch worden personen zonder papieren of mensen met een niet-witte huidskleur nog altijd achtergesteld. Zij interviewde een aantal Amsterdammers uit verschillende stadsdelen over deze onderwerpen. In deze ruimte zijn fragmenten van de gesprekken te lezen.
ONLINE BIO (EN)
Sithabile Mlotshwa (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 1975) is a visual artist, curator, and cultural producer. Her artistic practice is an inquiry into the very heart of the human condition: what makes us human and what connects us. Mlotshwa investigates the causes of systemic injustice, racism, inequality, oppression, and environmental degradation. Her work therefore deals with the deeply entrenched way in which colonial histories and their underlying ideologies continue to affect how we interact.
https://sithabileartprojects.com
ONLINE BIO (NL)
Sithabile Mlotshwa (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 1975) is beeldend kunstenaar, curator en cultureel producent. Haar artistieke praktijk bevraagt de kern van de menselijke conditie: naar wat ons menselijk maakt en wat ons verbindt. Mlotshwa onderzoekt de oorzaken van systemische onrechtvaardigheid, racisme, ongelijkheid, onderdrukking en de aantasting van het milieu. Haar werk gaat dus ook over de diepe greep die koloniale geschiedenissen en de onderliggende ideologieën nog steeds hebben op hoe we met elkaar omgaan.
https://sithabileartprojects.com
How does violence from the past shape your life in the present? What do you pass on to future generations? Refresh Amsterdam #2 shows works by twenty artists from different disciplines, selected through an open call. With their work they show how wars and conflicts around the world and over time play a role in the city of Amsterdam. Refresh Amsterdam is a biennial, interdisciplinary event focusing on Amsterdam city culture. In the Amsterdam Museum on the Amstel.
Participating makers
This second edition is organized together with more than twenty Amsterdam cultural institutions, with the We Sell Reality collective as the main partner. More work by the makers shown here can be seen at various locations and there is a weekly public program of talks and performances spread throughout the city.
The names of the selected artists, which include duos and collectives, are Sithabile Mlotshwa, Nasam Abboud & Yazan Maksoud & Roua Jafar, Kristina Benjocki, Marcel van den Berg, Luan Buleshkaj, Dina Danish, Ehsan Fardjadniya & Raul Balai, Tina Farifteh, Clinton Kabena, Ayşen Kaptanoğlu, Susanne Khalil Yusef, Gert Jan Kocken, Senka Milutinović, Vika Mitrichenko, Pieter Paul Pothoven, Ratu R. Saraswati, Anika Schwarzlose & Elena Khurtova, Victor Sonna, Handan Tufan and We Sell Reality.
Theme
'War & Conflict'Amsterdam has been partly shaped by wars and their consequences. The city has been a refuge for many for centuries. At the same time, Amsterdam itself has also contributed to war and oppression in various places around the world. This together results in a great diversity of residents. Many people carry war with them, even in Amsterdam.
To see
All works in the exhibition are new or recently created for Refresh Amsterdam in repsonse to the theme War and Conflict.
Partners
The main partner of this second edition is We Sell Reality, an art collective of documented and undocumented makers. In addition, the Amsterdam Museum for Refresh Amsterdam #2 works closely with leading institutions for art and culture throughout Amsterdam: AGA LAB, de Appel, CBK Zuidoost, Framer Framed, International Institute for Social History, Kriterion, Melkweg Expo, Amsterdam Public Library, OSCAM, Pakhuis de Zwijger, Paradiso, P/////AKT, Podium Mozaïek, Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, ROZENSTRAAT – a rose is a rose is a rose, Sexyland World, NDSM-werf Foundation, The Black Archives, Tolhuistuin and W139 .
The installation Mokkum not Mokum is made possible thanks to the support of the Mondriaan Fund.
The installation is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Mondriaan Fonds.
Weblink Mondriaan Fonds: https://www.mondriaanfonds.nl
Weblink to Refresh Amsterdam: https://www.amsterdammuseum.nl/tentoonstelling/refresh-amsterdam-2/26216
De vrouwenfiguur in deze installatie staat symbool voor Amsterdam. Haar jurk is een collage van papieren hoofden en lichamen. Beeldend kunstenaar Sithabile Mlotshwa knipte verschillende vormen uit van mensen die hun toevlucht zochten in Amsterdam. Hun achtergrond is divers: aziel zoekers genoemd “ongedocumenteerde” personen, mensen op de vlucht uit Oekraïne tot personen van de Afrikaanse diaspora en uit Suriname. Zij gaf elke groep een eigen plek; sommigen veilig onder de rokken van de stad en anderen achter op de sleep van de jurk, blootgesteld aan weer en wind.
ONLINE BIO (EN)
Sithabile Mlotshwa (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 1975) is a visual artist, curator, and cultural producer. Her artistic practice is an inquiry into the very heart of the human condition: what makes us human and what connects us. Mlotshwa investigates the causes of systemic injustice, racism, inequality, oppression, and environmental degradation. Her work therefore deals with the deeply entrenched way in which colonial histories and their underlying ideologies continue to affect how we interact.
https://sithabileartprojects.com
ONLINE BIO (NL)
Sithabile Mlotshwa (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 1975) is beeldend kunstenaar, curator en cultureel producent. Haar artistieke praktijk bevraagt de kern van de menselijke conditie: naar wat ons menselijk maakt en wat ons verbindt. Mlotshwa onderzoekt de oorzaken van systemische onrechtvaardigheid, racisme, ongelijkheid, onderdrukking en de aantasting van het milieu. Haar werk gaat dus ook over de diepe greep die koloniale geschiedenissen en de onderliggende ideologieën nog steeds hebben op hoe we met elkaar omgaan.
https://sithabileartprojects.com
About Refresh Amsterdam #2
How does violence from the past shape your life in the present? What do you pass on to future generations? Refresh Amsterdam #2 shows works by twenty artists from different disciplines, selected through an open call. With their work they show how wars and conflicts around the world and over time play a role in the city of Amsterdam. Refresh Amsterdam is a biennial, interdisciplinary event focusing on Amsterdam city culture. In the Amsterdam Museum on the Amstel.
Participating makers
The names of the selected artists, which include duos and collectives, are Sithabile Mlotshwa, Nasam Abboud & Yazan Maksoud & Roua Jafar, Kristina Benjocki, Marcel van den Berg, Luan Buleshkaj, Dina Danish, Ehsan Fardjadniya & Raul Balai, Tina Farifteh, Clinton Kabena, Ayşen Kaptanoğlu, Susanne Khalil Yusef, Gert Jan Kocken, Senka Milutinović, Vika Mitrichenko, Pieter Paul Pothoven, Ratu R. Saraswati, Anika Schwarzlose & Elena Khurtova, Victor Sonna, Handan Tufan and We Sell Reality.
Theme
'War & Conflict'Amsterdam has been partly shaped by wars and their consequences. The city has been a refuge for many for centuries. At the same time, Amsterdam itself has also contributed to war and oppression in various places around the world. This together results in a great diversity of residents. Many people carry war with them, even in Amsterdam.
To see
All works in the exhibition are new or recently created for Refresh Amsterdam in repsonse to the theme War and Conflict.
Partners
The main partner of this second edition is We Sell Reality, an art collective of documented and undocumented makers. In addition, the Amsterdam Museum for Refresh Amsterdam #2 works closely with leading institutions for art and culture throughout Amsterdam: AGA LAB, de Appel, CBK Zuidoost, Framer Framed, International Institute for Social History, Kriterion, Melkweg Expo, Amsterdam Public Library, OSCAM, Pakhuis de Zwijger, Paradiso, P/////AKT, Podium Mozaïek, Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, ROZENSTRAAT – a rose is a rose is a rose, Sexyland World, NDSM-werf Foundation, The Black Archives, Tolhuistuin and W139 .
The installation Mokkum not Mokum is made possible thanks to the support of the Mondriaan Fund.
The installation is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Mondriaan Fonds.
Weblink Mondriaan Fonds: https://www.mondriaanfonds.nl
Weblink to Refresh Amsterdam: https://www.amsterdammuseum.nl/tentoonstelling/refresh-amsterdam-2/26216