Podcast #6: Tirzo Martha

For Tirzo Martha, art is a way to be socially engaged. In his work, he brings different communities together. His installations are characterized by a multiplicity of objects, materials and techniques. All sorts of references can be discovered in them. His work deals with the history of slavery, tourism and political corruption, but also with the daily habits and living conditions of the inhabitants of Curaçao. For him, making art is about liberation and about life itself.

We talked about the school in Curaçao he founded with fellow artist David Bade: Instituto Bueno Bista and how this relates to his artistry. We talked about his childhood home and about Captain Caribbean, who is more than his alter ego. And, of course, about his commission for the Senate that launched in May 2023.

Listen

At www.bkinformatie.nl/podcast In addition to listening to the podcasts, you can also respond to the statements we formulate for each episode. The statement accompanying the podcast with Tirzo Martha:

It is liberating when a work of art is not for eternity

About the podcast

Under the title What's that doing here? BK-information brings a ten-part podcast series about artists and the social issues they deal with. In each episode, philosopher and expert on art in public space Esther Didden and a co-host discuss artists who realize their work within a social context. A context in which very different criteria apply than within the "usual" art discourse. Why do they work within that context and what does it bring to their artistry? What criteria do they have to deal with? And what does it bring to society? What does an artist add when he or she sits at a conference table?

You can also listen to the podcast via:
Apple Podcast
Spotify
Podcast Addict
Player FM

Podcast #7

The next podcast will appear on July 21, at the same time as the next BK Information. In it we will talk with artists Saskia Janssen and George Korsmit. In 2022, they won the Amsterdam Prize for Proven Talent. The jury praised their contribution to making the city livable by breaking through the boundaries between the artistic and social domains. They have been working with the homeless for almost twenty years under the name Rainbow Soulclub.

We take a look at their project for the Selwerd neighborhood in Groningen. They are realizing a temporary plant greenhouse there, and a collection of plants specially assembled for and by the neighborhood is growing in the greenhouse. This collection is a "plant portrait of Selwerd. The greenhouse is at a central location in the neighborhood and is accessible - at set times - to local residents: to linger or to garden. In addition, the greenhouse is also a workshop space for activities. They make so-called social sculptures, often committing themselves to a place for a longer period of time. How do they go about it and when do they release a work of art?

What is that doing here? is made possible in part by the Mondrian Fund and the Pictoright Fund.