Jessy Rahman

Jessy Rahman: "Mijn werkwijze wordt mede bepaald door de situatie ter plekke, niet alledaags en meestal in het buitenland. Daarbij kan gebruik maken van meest uiteenlopende technieken zoals tekenen, grafische, schilderen, ruimtelijke maat ook niet conventionele technieken die ik indien nodig mij eigen moet maken. Ook de voorliefde voor dans, theater, muziek dagen mij uit om tot performances te komen. Speelsheid en humor zijn daarbij de belangrijkste kenmerken. Rahman borrows his artist statement from an old Surinam song: “boesi bari wo wo jo wo wo jo, a no bari wo wo jo wo wo jo,” which freely translated means: “the bush is crying out in excitement, and yes indeed it is no ordinary sound.” Born in the former Dutch colony of Surinam, Rahman sees himself as a product of his mixed heritage formed by customs and manners of the plantation owners, slaves and contract workers who came from many different parts of the world. Most of his playful interactions with audiences that range from adults and children to animals and plant life, are based in this rich cultural background. Rahman has extensive organizational experience with artists groups and international exchange projects. He is co-founder of Quartair Contemporary Art Initiatives (1992) and current president of Foundation B141 (1991), which manages the art studios of Quartair, and has curated and co-curated many exhibitions in the Quartair gallery and other spaces in The Netherlands. His experience abroad includes working periods in Surinam (1994) and India (1997). Since 2004 he is a co-curator of Nine Dragon Heads, International Environment Art and Performance Movement, Seoul, South Korea. With Quartair, he has exhibited in many countries over the world".