Raquel van Haver, Spirits of the Soil

Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
2018

The exhibition is accompanied by this publication with an essay by Azu Nwagbogu, executive director and chief curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town and a foreword by Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen, curator at the Stedelijk Museum.

 

Spirits of the Soil is a new series of monumental paintings specially made for the exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum. In a raw and expressive manner, Van Haver depicts her experiences in Amsterdam’s Bijlmer district and the suburbs of Caribbean and Latin American cities, which originated from the African Diaspora. The title refers to the residents of these districts who she met and befriended during her stays. These 'Spirits of the Soil' are the greatest source of inspiration for Van Haver’s work: everyday life and rituals are depicted with a very specific sense of form and a great material complexity.

 

Published to accompany the solo exhibition at Stedelijk Museum, November 2018 - April 2019.

 

Essay by Azu Nwagbogu. Foreword by Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen.

Design by Vinger.nl.

ISBN 9789050062046