1953
(Don’t Forget about 1953, 2025, 140x100 cm, oil, acrylic on linen)
Exhibition view at Joey Ramone Gallery in Rotterdam, 2025
In Memory of the 1953 North Sea Disaster
My fascination with dunes began during a trip to **Bergen aan Zee** in the Netherlands. For a fleeting moment, I thought I was climbing a mountain, only to realize that beneath my feet was sand. That brief illusion sparked my exploration of dunes. The deeper I delved, the more I felt compelled to understand the great flood of 1953 in the Netherlands. Who would have thought that in such a highly developed country, not so long ago, a disaster claimed the lives of nearly two thousand people? From the protection of dunes to the Delta Works, Dutch culture has been profoundly shaped by this history.
Like the butterfly effect, could the flood that struck between January 31 and February 1, 1953, have been the true seed of this body of work?
While researching historical records, I came across letters written by children who were temporarily evacuated from their homes. Besides sending reassurances to loved ones, they included small drawings of the situation they experienced. Because nearly all visual records of that time were in black and white, these children’s simple sketches offered rare traces of color for me to follow.
Those children of 1953 are now in their seventies or eighties. I remember when I first arrived in the Netherlands, Dutch friends and relatives would explain the dikes, the waterworks, and why all children must learn to swim. They always mentioned the history of 1953. Living in this country, we often feel secure, yet I remind myself not to forget the lessons of that history.
Special thanks to Stichting Stokroos and CBK Rotterdam for supporting my artistic research during this time, to Gallery Joey Ramone, and Sabine Winters, who wrote such a beautiful text about my work.
A Call for Action, 2025, 24x30 cm, oil on linen
Children’s Parade for Love, 2025, 15x20 cm