I’m fascinated by the question: how has my family’s history from long ago managed to find its way through space and time to suddenly arrive at my door? And to influence my life. I explore time with an open mind. A time that’s fleeting, where what once was no longer is, and which I can’t seem to fully grasp. Its influence on my life is beyond my reach. I see this time as a space which I cautiously enter, ready to encounter whatever may emerge. It is a place of discovery, full of stories and secrets, spirits which unexpectedly appear and then fade. Stories which arise through flashes of memories and experiences left open. The space is constantly shifting. It sometimes feels empty, from faded or suppressed memories. And sometimes overwhelmingly full and coloured, with desires and loss at once apparent.
My family story has inspired this quest. It plays out during WWII in the former Dutch East Indies, where my grandmother and her young children – my mother and her brother and sister – were held prisoners in a Japanese internment camp. My grandfather went missing while resisting the Japanese army and was never found. His letters to my grandmother however remain.
In this multi-media exposition, I invite you to explore the space depicted between my family’s story and my life today. The installation is spatial, it stimulates different senses and has a mysterious quality through which you can somewhat lose yourself. Perhaps we all have stories from our histories yet to be discovered?
The exhibition is at Loods 6 in Amsterdam, from May 30th till June 1st.