Author Description

Project 1975 is published in collaboration with the Stedelijk Museum Bureau in Amsterdam. Project 1975 is the result of a two-year program of exhibitions, commissioned essays, events and research. 1975 is the year that Suriname officially became independent from the Netherlands. The resulting book is a study of the effects of the multi-cultural society in the visual arts- both in the production and reception of it. The book discusses the ways in which globalization changes the artistic landscape and art production. Project 1975 offers answers to current social and political questions affecting the visual arts: Is the power position of the stereotypical European white male colonizer less strong these days? What did post-colonial theory do for a better understanding of artists from areas such as Surinam? Has the sophisticated art infrastructure of the West been instrumental in abolishing divisions between Western and non-Western art or did it rationalize and maintain these distinctions? Project 1975 approaches these questions from a variety of contributors and perspectives, to open up the discussion and provide suggestions for future approaches. Project 1975 includes a collection of work from artists and writers addressing the issues, these include short interviews, texts and illustrations. Throughout the book is illustrated by photographs of the works displayed in the Project 1975 exhibitions.