“This will be the most photographed image of Rotterdam,” Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said on Friday at the unveiling of the image. Moments Contained by Thomas J Price on the busy Stationsplein in Rotterdam. The four-metre-high sculpture of a black woman in sweatpants was by far the most talked about sculpture in the Netherlands at the moment this weekend.
Soon after it became known that the philanthropic foundation Droom en Daad had bought the statue and donated it to the city, there was some commotion. But then NRCcolumnist Rosanne Hertzberger wrote in a column on Saturday that she found the work an “insult”, because the young woman had “achieved nothing special”, a storm of acclaim erupted on social media and fierce criticism.
1 What does this image mean, according to the artist himself?
Thomas J Price (London, 1981) is known for his large bronze sculptures of contemporary figures he calls ‘everymen’ and ‘everywomen’. Moments Contained is an example of that. According to the artist, it is about the feeling of being put away as ‘the other’. “I like to make works that are about how people experience themselves and whether or not that fits in with the view of others.”, he said earlier The Kunstbodea publication of Stichting Droom en Daad.
Price likes to see his images in public space. “That makes people aware of the things that have surrounded us for centuries – often images of powerful men.” And the statue is so large, he says, to “challenge our current notions of outdoor art (…), who should be represented?”
“Raising awareness and challenging this is hypocritical art jargon,” said Hertzberger, who thinks the statue is activist. “The artist wants to scream, just like the activists who pulled the bronze white men from their horses in recent years.” She sees in this image the undesirable tendency, in her opinion, that marginalized people receive sympathy in advance, which they do not have to offer anything in return.
At the unveiling, Secretary of State for Culture Gunay Uslu already predicted that the statue would provoke a lot of discussion, and that that was good, because that’s what art is for.
2 Don’t only people who have done something special get a statue?
There is a difference, albeit with an unclear boundary, between statues and sculptures of a human form. In the Netherlands, relatively few people are depicted on a pedestal because of their merits: “This is not a country that quickly hoists political or military leaders on its shield, just act normal, then you are acting crazy enough,” historian Maria Grever said earlier. She sits the KNAW committee about controversial monuments. It is customary to ‘portrait’ minors or ‘general’ people who do not refer to a historical figure. The Scheveningen Fisherman’s Wife by Gerard Bakker is an example, and Mr Jacques from Oswald Wenckebach on the Coolsingel; according to image manager CBK Rotterdam “not a portrait of a real person, but the imagination of the smug citizen in general”.
Also read this article: The statue of a young black woman on Nikes in Rotterdam is an insult
3 Who decides which images will be displayed in public space?
Ultimately, the municipality decides: it must grant a permit. But CBK Rotterdam manages the content of Rotterdam’s extensive sculpture collection. So when the Droom en Daad foundation wanted to donate this statue to the city (private donation is quite common in Rotterdam), this was done in consultation with CBK Rotterdam and the municipality: CBK sometimes says no. But this donation was in line with the wish to place more images of international quality, and also more images of women.
The three parties then jointly looked at the best place for this Moments Contained would be. In the end, Stationsplein was clearly preferred. After five years, the place is reviewed: is the statue safe, does it still fit, does another place ask for this statue? It also looks at how the image is received.
4 What do the people of Rotterdam think of the artwork?
The statue had been waiting for two days behind a fence for the official unveiling on Friday afternoon. Many people came to that.
The Stationsplein is a busy and prominent place, but there was no major fuss on Friday.
RTV Rijnmond, which already questioned passers-by with a photo of the statue at the beginning of March, then received mostly positive answers. “I just think she’s chill, she looks lenient,” says a young woman of color. “It shows that people of color are respected in this country,” says another young woman of color.
It feels like recognition: we are not a homogeneous but very diverse city
It’s just Elfilali Volt party chairman
The statue was not debated in the Rotterdam city council. Some politicians did speak about it in the media. That is what Imane Elfilali, leader of the Volt group, said in early March AD that she finds the image radiating power. “I also feel recognition: this is what we look like in Rotterdam, there is not one image of us, we are not a homogeneous but very diverse city.”
Ellen Verkoelen, party chairman of 50Plus, then said that she would have preferred to see a work of art that refers to the port. “I don’t think this is symbolic for Rotterdam.”
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Also read a review of the statue: ‘This image of a black woman unsurpassedly celebrates the ordinary, modern Netherlands’ (●●●●●)
5 Why does the image give rise to discussion?
The fuss came after Rosanne Hertzberger’s column in NRC in which she wrote that it would be senseless to portray a woman who “has achieved nothing” and is only depicted because she belongs to a marginalized group. “Just being a woman, having a disability, wearing a headscarf, a dark skin color or preferably a combination of these is enough to be raised on the shield, and especially in the cultural sector.”
The column led to reactions, especially on social media. On Twitter, they ranged from “the best column of the year” to “cringe-inducing bullshit” — and everything in between. Among the serious reactions were also many racist and discriminatory remarks.
“I couldn’t sleep,” said journalist Tara Lewis, who was present at the unveiling of the image. She saw a full Stationsplein with a very diverse, often moved audience and found it impressive. “I found the racist comments on Twitter appalling,” she says. “But into a gut column NRC I couldn’t leave it unchallenged.”
She also described on the online platform Joop.nl that she had felt the relief of proud black women on the square, “who regularly feel reduced to second-class citizens by systems and people.”
She concludes by stating that Hertzberger’s column shows that the battle is far from over.
6 What does this mean for the image?
fame. The first demonstration using the image as a starting point is already planned for next weekend. This demonstration draws attention to Flemish student Sanda Dia, who died in 2018 after a brutal initiation he had to endure to become a member of a Leuven student club. The eighteen students who attended the initiation recently received community service and fines. According to the organizers of the demonstration, those penalties are far too light.
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Also read this analysis: When statues for the people become statues of the people
2023-06-05 14:56:20
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