Quentley Barbara / Gun Nos Tambe

04.12.21 — 15.01.22

We are pleased to welcome Quentley Barbara back to Madé van Krimpen for an exhibition of his latest work. The show is entitled 'Gun Nos Tambe'. Barbara describes his latest work as a critique of politics in Curaçao and the impact that colonialism has on shaping the country historically and at present.

The new figures are constructed from recycled copies of the island's local newspaper and chicken wire as a symbol of the inequality and oppression which exists on the island today despite it looking like a picture of paradise. The multi-faceted installation not only captures the tenor of the human body in motion but demonstrates how it can be viewed as a political entity.  

In contrast with his earlier work which is mainly 3D portraiture, in a bust-like form, his latest sculptures depict the body in full and as it interacts with the space(s) it occupies. The sculptures are staged in front of a section of a 'Kunuku House', a style of a cottage that was built in the past by enslaved people and also features important cultural symbols such as a native healing cactus. The work is multi-layered and riddled with hidden signs and meanings which appear to people who know them. It invites viewers to look closer, reminding them how appearances can be deceptive.

The exhibition reminds us of how Barbara is a playful and experimental sculptor. He can create intimate pictures and share his memories by merely manipulating waste material. As an artist, he is not bound by the conventions of traditional sculpture yet he has the technical ability to materialize what is in his imagination. We are very excited to work with Quentley again and look forward to seeing how his work interplays with our space.