My current project is about my pursuit to find ways to relate to my bi-cultural identity. Growing up with Dutch and Indian-Surinamese roots I found myself living in two worlds. I have been raised by my Nani (grandmother) and she has shown me the richness of the Indian-Surinamese culture. When I got older I got disconnected from that culture because I didn't have many other people around me to share it with.

I found myself grieving an unknown sense of belonging and felt the urge to explore this. This exploration brought me to conversations with other bi-cultural individuals, a journey to Suriname, and being able to make certain rituals and dishes of my heritage my own. This project is a reflection on the strength I rediscover in myself to be able to curate my own bi-cultural identity.

Artist statement

Frequently I daydream about softer futures. Futures that are more sustainable, inclusive, and based on solidarity. I strongly believe in community care and that by practicing this, we can evolve from systems of oppression to systems of care. To create those futures, I believe we as humanity should get a better understanding of each person’s own unique experiences and struggles. As a queer, neurodivergent, and bi-cultural person, I feel little breathing space for my existence within societal norms. I question these norms through my own personal stories and that’s why intimacy, care, and vulnerability are among the defining themes of my artistic practice. Through softness and vulnerability, I try to create works where I can playfully introduce people to “ac­tivist” topics. At the same time, my work aims to be a safe space for people who struggle to live in today’s fast-paced society.

My current project is about my experience as a bi-cultural person. With this project, I try to embrace identity-based grief and find ways to celebrate my mixed heritage. I started to research my Indian-Surinamese heritage by looking into crafts, rituals, and dishes that are taught to me by my family. By deconstructing a dish from my grandmother and instead of cooking, fermenting this, I started to research the metaphorical and trans­formative aspects of fermentation. I already had an interest in fermentation and preserving food and like my heritage, I wanted to find a way to make it my own. So I decided to combine the two. This process, focusing on fermenting, gave me renewed insights how to find the confidence to curate my own identity as a bi-cultural person.

Ambities

In the coming years, I would love to dive deeper into my artistic and activist practice and find ways how to combine them both. This may take shape in being a professional artist, a social worker, and a community organizer. I hope to create a community where we can challenge societal norms through research. Research starts with coming together, exchanging knowledge, and finding ways to share what we learn through art.

Geleerd tijdens de studie

The past years I had the time and space to explore my fascinations and to create an artistic identity. Being able to work in the workspaces that the school provides, I found out that I prefer to work with material and tactility. The photography department has been very supportive and stimulated this journey.
Through the classes and receiving feedback, I also got a better understanding of my creative processes and gained tools to become more aware of these.

Overzicht van publicaties / exposities / prijzen / concerten / voorstellingen etc.

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