Wereldmuseum Rotterdam's collection consists of objects from all over the world, each with a unique story. What they have in common is that they have been made by human hands. Making is a way to shape ideas, feelings and traditions, pass on knowledge and create connections. The new addition to the exhibition Kruispunt, Crafting New Narratives, craft and cultures of making take center stage. Contemporary makers such as Funda Baysal, Hatutamelen, Chequita Nahar and Amy Suo Wu build on traditions and give them new meaning, bringing past and present together in a dynamic dialogue.
In the new expo space of Kruispunt Rotterdam, four contemporary makers explore how traditional crafts, techniques and materials live on in a modern context. They reinterpret heritage and create new connections between past, present and future, inviting visitors to make their own.
Amy Suo Wu is an interdisciplinary artist, designer and teacher from Rotterdam. Her recent work focuses on themes of recovery and repair and the interaction between text, textiles and the body. Since 2019, she has collaborated with her mother Maria Ling Qing Huang, a fashion designer and illustrator with her own textile workshop in Sydney, on the project Serenity Department. In it, they explore the impact of migration and intergenerational trauma on their relationship by working both literally and figuratively to repair and recover: a method they call stitches.
Chequita Nahar is a Dutch jewelry designer, teacher and curator. She places Surinamese making traditions and rituals in a new context, giving them new forms and meanings. She sees her practice as a form of storytelling: stories connected to her childhood, family or Suriname she transforms into tangible objects that record her cultural history and connect it to other cultures. She does this by combining Surinamese styles, motifs and materials with techniques and methods drawn from disciplines such as contemporary jewelry design, glass and ceramics.
Hatutamelen Hatutamelen is a Dutch artist specializing in Moluccan woodcarving. He has also developed in disciplines such as linoleum printing, painting and video art. He creates contemporary interpretations of traditional Moluccan objects, symbols and motifs. His creative process is based on his love and fascination for woodworking as well as the knowledge of the craft within his family - including his ancestors. Hatutamelen is often guided by intuition and spirituality. His goal is to revive the Moluccan tradition of woodcarving and the use of Moluccan symbols and motifs and make it accessible to his community, making it part of Dutch society as well.
Funda Baysal is a Rotterdam-based artist and researcher. In her work, Baysal captures movements, sounds, stories and knowledge in ceramics. Although there are crossovers to other disciplines, clay is the core material she works with. As she herself says, “I think through and with clay.” Her work is a continuation of artisanal ceramic traditions that she blends with innovative, often digital technology such as 3D printing. For her, machines are an extension of handwork and a way to push the boundaries of discipline. For Baysal, the result does not always have to be something tangible; the process is just as important to her as the final product.
The photography of the four artists was realized by Rotterdam-based filmmaker and photographer Roel van Tour, who also created the intimate video portraits featured in the exhibition. Van Tour primarily works in the fields of design and art, collaborating with brands and individuals such as Vitra, Kvadrat, Hella Jongerius, Bertjan Pot, and Christien Meindertsma.
The Kruispunt Rotterdam exhibition shows
The Asmat live in New Guinea, in the southwestern region of the island (measuring some 18,000 square kilo
