Flatland Gallery at the PAN Amsterdam
The Admiral’s Headache – Koets | 2019 | 110 x 110 cm | edition of 7 | c-print
With: Alice Browne, Erwin Olaf, Guy Yanai, Jasper de Beijer, Kim Boske, Stelios Karamanolis
About ‘The Admiral’s Headache’:
During his 4 month residency at the Instituto Buena Bista in Curaçao Jasper de Beijer collected information about the Dutch past in this former colony of the Netherlands. The artist was intrigued by the modular character of the buildings, ships, tools and weapons, which were in a way all part of the method of using human beings as a commodity. The administrative papers prove the instrumental character of the Dutch activities, breaking down all commodities into bits of profit or cost.
De Beijer imagined this whole system as an alien invasion on the island, using the method of compartmentalized boats and houses as prefab and modular units. He took this idea as a vantage point to imagine the ships bringing these units, unloading them like container ships and start colonizing the land to prepare it for the slaves who provided the running engine for the system.
In this world the colonialists become hidden players, only present behind their facades and their empty uniform costumes in the museums in Curacao. He recreated his version of the island, in 3D in paper – and made a desolated place in his studio, riddled with living units, storage units, prefab harbors, boats and machines that are waiting to be involuntary powered by humans, the ancestors of the current inhabitants.
DATES & OPENING HOURS
24 Nov-01 Dec 2019
24 – 27 november 12 – 9 pm
28 – 1 december 12 – 6 pm
Amsterdam RAI, Hall 8, Europaplein, 1078 GZ Amsterdam
Route & accessibility