Opening tentoonstelling THE PAIN OF SLAVERY - ANDRA DAANS

Zondag 4 JUNI 2023

Van 14.30 uur tot 17.00 uur

“The Pain Of Slavery is based on the story my father shared. My father's great-grandmother was born into slavery. Grietje Sara (Sasa as my father called her) born +- 1854/7 (on the plantation Groot Chatillon - Bov. Suriname). Despite slavery was abolished six to ten years later, the whip marks were still visible on her back. In 2021, I set myself a challenge to acknowledge history. 2023 will be a commemorative year, it will be 150 years ago that slavery in the Netherlands was abolished in Suriname.

150 children's portraits, one for each year. When we think of enslaved people, we tend to think of adult people, but we forget that the enslaved population quickly began to sustain itself through natural reproduction. Enslaved children experienced their childhood within the atrocious slave system that existed within Suriname and many other places in the world.

The disturbing truth is that we know less than we should know about childhood enslavement. That is why I decided I want to give these enslaved children a face.Even though slavery has been abolished, poverty worldwide has fuelled new forms of enslavement and once again children are the main victims, without a voice nor face. I decided to broaden my project and not only tell the history of slavery but also show that slavery has a modern face too. This resulted in my fifteen stories of narrative drawings.

That is how the project: The Pain Of Slavery came about. 

The Pain Of Slavery, is a testament to the story of slavery. History is cruel, and the theme of slavery, as it is represented in art should not be excluded from viewership within public places. Art gives voice to those not otherwise heard. Pain of Slavery series represents many unheard voices. It is a culmination of a dream to bring those voiceless in the art world to the forefront. Art creates peace, understanding and healing. It’s a way to display a wide range of emotions, scenes, and events. History has left important artworks that help us understand the landscape of a particular era.”