Art of the Dutch Caribbean: Themes in Postcolonial Art

Presenter

River Riddle

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Maxine Oland, Commonwealth Honors College, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board C17, Poster Showcase Room (163), Row 2 (C11-C20) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

This research explores the overarching themes present in postcolonial art made by marginalized groups in the Dutch Caribbean, specifically in Suriname and countries that were part of The Kingdom of the Netherlands. I chose these countries specifically because they share linguistic similarities, as Dutch and Dutch creoles are among their official languages, as well as for their current ties and dependence on the Netherlands to varying degrees. As such, these nations have shared experiences of Dutch colonization, decolonization, and currently reckon with Dutch influence in the contemporary era. This research features a curated exhibit of sixteen artifacts from this period, specifically art pieces as well as other artistic modes of creation, mainly literature. The common themes I have identified in postcolonial Dutch Caribbean art have been resistance, connections to ancestral roots and diaspora, issues of the body and identity, and socio-economic commentary. All of these themes reveal the distortion of racially marginalized identities that occurred under Dutch colonialism, how the tumultuous period of decolonization in this region shaped the subsequent art movements, and how the imagination of the Netherlands as a tolerant society crumbles in the colonial context.

Keywords

Colonization , Art History, History, Globalization, Imperialism and Empire

Research Area

History

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