Den tur circumstancia nos lo sigi move (Under all circumstances we will continue to move)

6 November 2021–20 January 2022
The opening takes place on 6 November 2021 and the exhibition is on view through 20 January 2022.
Visit this page to learn more about the opening program and how to visit.

Casco Art Institute in partnership with Hartwig Art Production | Collection Fund 2020/2021 is proud to present Den tur circumstancia nos lo sigi move (Under all circumstances we will continue to move) by Curaçao- and Netherlands-based artist collective Family Connection. The group exhibition consisting of vibrant, mixed-media artworks departs from a 1983 video report of the Antilliaanse Carnival in Utrecht made by then art student Rudsel Martinus. Seated, he speaks directly into the camera, stressing the importance of keeping the Caribbean communal memory of Carnival alive. He voices his warning in Papiamentu – the Spanish and Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean – implying a deep connection to traditions of marronage (process of extricating oneself from slavery) and refusal. Now an artist and part of the family collective, Martinus shared this material with his nephew Quinsy Gario in 2019, and this exhibition, titled after the epilogue to the recording, is the collective’s response.

After studying the video report and its historical position as well as the broader development of Carnival in the Caribbean, Family Connection presents a collection of artworks that speak of generational solidarity and revolutionary actions. In the unearthing of stories that lay dormant, the members look at the Black Caribbean craftsmanship involved in producing Carnival costumes, the choreography of the masses in public space, the genealogies of the soundscapes that inspire movement, and the historical poetics involved that came to the fore in organizing the Carnival in Utrecht. 

The collective repoliticizes playing mas (short for “masquerade” and its associated performance) and the event’s function in Utrecht during the severe economic recession in Netherlands in the early 1980s, in the same city where 270 years earlier imperial European powers negotiated colonial occupation and slavery. Through this exhibition, Family Connection wants to contribute to local municipal memory and invites the city to continue to remember that which is not found in the city archives. Together the collective demonstrates tales of perseverance and how craftsmanship contains a healing potential.  

Family Connection shares an appreciation for Dutch Caribbean student diaspora communities, a celebration of diasporic homemaking practices, and an amplification of communal aesthetics. The work on display is a result of that collaborative investigation and consists of work by Rudsel Martinus, Glenda Martinus, Gala Martinus, Quinsy Gario, Jörgen Gario, Caldron Lewis and Whitney Lewis. Family Connection was started by sisters Glenda and Gala Martinus in 2005 and continues to involve different members of the family. Recently they presented work as part of Positions #5 at Van Abbemuseum (Eindhoven) where they reflected on the ways the 1969 uprising in Curaçao is remembered and shared.

Image description: a person is facing the camera, holding a drink, while others are with their sides and backs towards us taking part in a parade. Credit: Film still from Carnival 1983 in Utrecht, and the author is Rudsel Martinus

Colophon:

Family Connection (Rudsel Martinus, Glenda Martinus, Gala Martinus, Quinsy Gario, Jörgen Gario, Caldron Lewis, and Whitney Lewis), artist collective

Michael Klinkenberg, Thomas de Kroon, Hannah van der Schaaf, Bram Kuypers, Emiel Vanhove, Kasper Van Moll, exhibition construction team

Ariadne Sergoulopoulou, Jonny Mehrez, Norbert Kovács, Leonardo Siqueira, Olga Maroudi, niet normaal*, exhibition build up volunteers

Olivier (Aro AndersTaxi), transportation

Yota Tselenti, Martha Miari, Rita Westwood, Jody Metcalfe, opening program volunteers

Sun Chang, Sandwich Stories, Shakeela Martinus from Caribbean Ice Cream factory, opening program catering

Norbert Kovács, Taliet Marsman, Martha Miari, Jonny Mehrez, Ariadne Sergoulopoulou, Leonardo Siqueira, Lux Sauer, Jody Metcalfe, Maria Sujecka, Rita Westwood, Olga Maroudi, hosts

Faisol Subroto (IMWU), cleaning

David Bennewith / colophon.info, graphic identity

Janine Armin, English editor
Rosa Paardenkooper, translation

Aude Christel Mgba, Hartwig Art Production | Collection Fund curator

Casco Art Institute core team:
Binna Choi, director
Erik Uitenbogaard, head of diverse economies
Staci Bu Shea, curator
Leana Boven, assistant curator
Marianna Takou, producer
Luke Cohlen, communication, website, & campaign

Partner:
The Hartwig Art Production | Collection Fund was established in 2020 and is part of the Hartwig Art Foundation.

The Hartwig Art Production | Collection Fund stimulates experimentation and creativity at the highest level. Every year the fund supports a group of artists in the creation of new and ambitious work. The artworks are eventually bought by the Hartwig Art Foundation and donated to the Dutch State (Collectie Nederland). In this way, the fund makes a lasting social contribution.

For the Special Project 2020/21 collaborations have been established with presentation institutions in the Netherlands. Besides Casco Art Institute (Utrecht), presentations by a total of 15 artists can be seen at Stroom Den Haag, Oude Kerk (Amsterdam), Vleeshal (Middelburg), and Kunstinstituut Melly (Rotterdam). Hartwig Art Production | Collection Fund 2020/21 at large is curated by Sharmyn Cruz Rivera, Iris Ferrer, Aude Christel Mgba, Jo-Lene Ong, and Rita Ouédraogo. Find more information at: www.hartwigartfoundation.nl

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