Local Heroes commemorate the history of slavery

Geplaatst op 18 june 2026, in Tentoonstellingen

CBK Zuidoost is participating in the commemoration of the abolition of slavery. In May, our major exhibition is dedicated to this theme: Knights in Shining Armour, accompanied by various activities. The exhibition Local Heroes, currently on display, also features works referring to the history of slavery: the animation de Sjamaan (The Shaman) by Rossel Chaslie and Onias Landveld, and 15 + 1 Decimal Pedestals by Maikel Deekman.

De Sjamaan is a ritual animation that uses imagery, sound, and language to induce a trance from beginning to end. Chaslie drew many different textures, animation loops, and backgrounds, independent of Landveld’s text. During the editing process, he determined what fit where, focusing primarily on the visuals and how elements flow into one another. Chaslie says of the creative process: “In a spoken word animation, the narrative is heavily colored by what you hear. It is not a problem if what is seen does not refer to what is heard.”

The animation is part of a larger series of animations: Kunu. The overarching theme of this series is the history of slavery. For Chaslie, it was an experiment and a challenge to maintain the relationship with the diaspora and the history of slavery without showing exuberant images featuring enslaved people.

The work 15 + 1 Decimal Pedestals by Maikel Deekman (see image above) consists of 15 + 1 sharply cut foam blocks, topped with calabashes filled with colored and scented elixirs, resting on circles of coiled internet cables. This work is the result of a personally motivated research project in which Maikel Deekman delved into Maroon culture and established connections—in color, material, technique, and contemporary art—with other perspectives that appeal to him: from Mondrian to African philosophy. The 15 + 1 foam blocks refer to the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in 2023. Each block represents 10 years. The additional sixteenth block represents the ten years of plantation labor that enslaved people were still required to perform after the official abolition of slavery in 1863.