CELEBRATING THE GRANDMOTHER AS A FIGURE OF KNOWLEDGE
Kunstinstituut Melly presented My Oma, a project that involves a group exhibition, concerts, performance, public programs and education activities. Conceptually interlaced throughout these formats are the figure of the grandmother, queries on ancestral knowledge, and ideas of cultural heritage.
The exhibition includes artworks and projects created from 2000 to date, with several specially commissioned for the occasion. As it pertains to existing artworks, most of these will be experienced for the first time in the Netherlands. The exhibition and its special initiatives aim to promote historical learning, as well as to strengthen intergenerational bonds through artistic and cultural exchange.
The figure of the grandmother is the protagonist of My Oma. This female elder is approached as a real figure in some instances. At times, the grandmother is an imaginary character; a latent and already sentient figure; a specific position in time. The figure of the grandmother allows for various approaches to traditions, ancestry, and diaspora. It also welcomes the reconsideration of gendered and ageist determinations surrounding cultural and material legacy.
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Harriët Freezer, grandmother of Charlie Koolhaas, also a participant in My Oma. Credit: Dirk de Herder / Nederlands Fotomuseum.
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Berette Macaulay. Tante Trude, in Beskyden, CZ, 2009. Courtesy of the artist.
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Sawangwongse Yawnhwe. My Grandmother, 2022. 157x97cm. Oil on linen. Courtesy of the artist.
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Hana Miletić. Felt workshops XII-XXI, 2022-2024 (ongoing). Hand-made felts (raw wool in different colors) on metal backdrop stands, dimensions variable. Photo: Lola Pertsowsky.
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Meriem Bennani, Sihan & Hafida. Photo: Jason Mandella.
The exhibition features drawing, painting, textiles, video, and installation art. My Oma also includes a series of performances and event-based activities specially commissioned for the project.
My Oma includes works by: A Maior (Portugal), Funda Baysal (Turkey), Yto Barrada (France), Meriem Bennani (Morocco), Nurul Ain Binti Nor Halim (Malaysia), Lia Dostlieva and Andrii Dostliev (Ukraine), Shardenia Felicia (Curaçao), Susanne Khalil Yusef (Germany), Charlie Koolhaas (The Netherlands), Liedeke Kruk (The Netherlands), Marcos Kueh (Malaysia), Berette S Macaulay (Sierra Leone), Silvia Martes (Curaçao), Hana Miletić (Croatia), Jota Mombaça (Brazil), Sheelasha Rajbhandari (Nepal), Anri Sala (Albania), Stacii Samidin (Netherlands), Kateřina Šedá (Czech Republic), Buhlebezwe Siwani (South Africa), Judy Watson (Australia), and Sawangwongse Yawnghwe (Shan State of Burma).
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