BRANKOPOPOVICBLOG: SAY IT LOUD at Bonnefanten

Brian Elstak

SAY IT LOUD is an international group exhibition by contemporary artists whose work explores subjects related to diversity and the colonial past, and their representation or interpretation.

Participating artists:
Kent Chan, Brian Elstak, Quinsy Gario, Ni Haifeng, Raquel van Haver, Hans van Houwelingen, Alle Jong, Kahlil Joseph, Patricia Kaersenhout, Kerry James Marshall, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Otobong Nkanga, Alison Saar, Betye Saar, Juul Sadée, Henry Taylor and Kim Zwarts.

The artists in this exhibition work in different ways and in a variety of media, ranging from painting to performance, and from sculpture to video art. They each have their own spearheads: their work touches on representation, migration, diaspora, slavery, women’s liberation, structural economic and social exploitation, religion and war. They are united by their shared wish to broaden and diversify the historical and art-historical canon.

The artists look back, often from a personal perspective, on how colonial history has formed them and the world around them. They link their personal experiences to bigger events and processes, such as slavery, institutional racism and sexism, and representation. They explore how identity is formed and broaden the canon with a rich visual idiom and a wide range of often neglected stories.

SAY IT LOUD is part of the joint venture ‘Musea Bekennen Kleur’ (Museums Explore Colour), in which Dutch museums look at issues of diversity and inclusion within the museum sector. The approach taken by this joint venture focuses not only on the visible activities, but also – and especially – on the collaborative process. The participating museums are: the Amsterdam Museum, the Bonnefanten, the Centraal Museum, the Dordrechts Museum, the Frans Hals Museum, the Museum Arnhem, the Rembrandt House Museum, the National Museum of World Cultures, the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Van Abbemuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Zeeuws Museum. The ambition is that other interested museums also join in the venture. ‘Musea Bekennen Kleur’ receives support from the Mondriaan Fund. You can find more information on www.museabekennenkleur.nl.

Kahlil Joseph's video installation BLKNWS can also be seen at HipHopHuis, Rotterdam from September 11 on and at OSCAM, Amsterdam from September 17 on.

www.bonnefanten.nl