International Museum Day- Weekend

Event

International Museum Day -Weekend

Friday May 19 and Saturday May 20 

Museum Weekend at Landhuis Bloemhof and Cathedral of Thorns

Locals can buy a Museum Card to visit three museums during the weekend.
Locals and visitors without the museum card get a special 50% discount on their entrance tickets at Bloemhof.

Specials for the Museum Weekend:
- introduction tours to the Bloemhof Experience at 9.30, 10.30 11.30 and 12.30
- scavenger hunt for young and old
- our new art exhibition by Wilson Garcia and Ria Houwen
- walk through 'The Cathedral of Thorns' by Herman van Bergen
- visit Hortence Brouwn's open-air sculpture studio
- get a sneak peak of Bloemhof's interesting history in the Ex Libris May-Max library
We are open from 9 am to 2 pm

Schreeuw van de Stilte / Avondlicht (Cry of Silence / Evening Light)

Exhibition

Schreeuw van de Stilte - Avondlicht
Cry of Silence- Evening Light

 

 

Opening Saturday May 20

 

Showing new oil paintings by Wilson Garcia and assemblages by Ria Houwen.

Ode to friendship
This first duo exhibition is based on the longtime friendship between Garcia and Houwen and at the same time it is an expression of their mutual respect for each other’s artistic careers. Both are well-known and successful artists, with strong ties to Curaçao, who have known each other for years, but never exhibited their art together.

Garcia, through his oil paintings, advocates for Curaçao's artistic legacy. In Schreeuw van de Stilte (Cry of Silence), he wants to pay respect to those who paved foundations on artistic and creative levels. This is a cry to remind others not to forget them. "With my paintings, I want to honor Pacheco Domacassé, Diana Lebacs, Ced Ride, and also my wife, Ria Garcia. People who have inspired me and continue to inspire me."

For Houwen, Avondlicht (Evening Light) means the light that slips away. A last gentle touch. "It is an ode to a lifelong friendship, where memories are safely locked in the heart, and then suddenly surface, along with the realization of how precious they are. It's like life in mythological times, light-footed, as if you're being lifted. Friendships had wings. Now there is only a light, a last glow and a feeling of gratitude."

In Avondlicht, Ria Houwen presents a collection of assemblages called "Pandora's Box” which she first exhibited in 2002. These are small boxes, some slightly open and others wide open. They invite you to peek and examine closer. The boxes are transformed by recycled mixed media. Worn, torn, and old materials of which their history is still palpable. According to Houwen, these objects are the key to unlocking the secrets of the subconscious, a gateway to ancient times, myths, and fairy tales that still hold power today. They bear witness to lives once lived in a distant, forgotten world of dreams, desires, and dramas.

Wilson Garcia: colorful connections between people

Wilson Garcia is a Curaçaoan artist who has made a name for himself in education and in the art world on the island. He worked for years as a coordinator and teacher at the Akademia di Arte and as a visual arts teacher at the Akademia Pedagógiko. He also taught children aged 5 to 15 years old, promoting their creative minds. In addition, he illustrated numerous children's books and postage stamps for the Antillean postal service.

Even after his retirement, Garcia remains actively involved in education, for example through his work for the Fundashon Material pa Skol. In the Netherlands, he worked for the Institute for the Development of School Childcare. With his art and his commitment to education, Garcia has made a lasting contribution to the cultural richness of Curaçao and beyond.

In 2000, he moved to the Netherlands, where he continued painting. Garcia's art is personal and invites connection. He captures human interactions in his own characteristic way through sensual ton-sur-ton images. By directly mixing oil paint on the canvas, subtle transitions and nuances emerge in his work.

About Ria Houwen
Ria Houwen, a Dutch artist who called Curaçao her home for many years, is a fascinating and dynamic creator whose art has caught the attention of both local and international audiences. She taught at the Akademia di Arte, later became an art teacher at Radulphus College, and gave workshops both at home and on location.

Houwen's journey began at the Academy of Fine Arts in the Netherlands. She arrived in Curaçao in 1972, and soon thereafter made a name for herself in the local art scene with her first exhibition at 'galerie rg' in Punda in 1975. Since then, her work has taken her to many local and international exhibitions, establishing her name in the art world.

Houwen's work reflects her own personality, characterized by a remarkable tension between eroticism and spiritual life. This connects deeply with the Caribbean world where magic and reality are interwoven in a web of complexity. Her paintings reflect on the drama of the personal soul and connects it with the drama of the island, creating a stunning and unforgettable artistic experience.

 

COT by Night

Event

Cathedral of Thorns by Night

Cathedral of Thorns by Night

Friday 5th of May | 7.00 PM

Cathedral of Thorns by Night

Be prepared for a magical evening and get your tickets now for Chispas Latinas With: Yumarya Grijt, singer,  Rhazul Sebelon, kuarta, Ernie Gregorius, percussion, Arjen de Graaf, violin and Ernesto Paz, contrabas.

Doors open at 7 pm and the event starts at 7.30 pm.

Tickets are available at Bookhandel Mensings Caminada, Zumpiña Shop (next to Restaurant Number TEN) and at Landhuis Bloemhof
Entrance ANG 35.00 / US$ 20.00

Workshop Stone Sculpting

Event

Workshop Stone Sculpting by Annie Clement

May 20 & 26 | June 3 & 10
9.99 AM- 1.00 PM

Sculptor and teacher Annie Clement is back on the island. And that means there is another workshop sculpting coming up.

Register for this 4-day course in the garden of Landhuis Bloemhof. Every Saturday morning from May 20 till June 3. From 9 am to 1 pm. An outdoor exhibition is part of the last day of the course. Tools are included. A maximum of 8 people can join this fun workshop.

Reggister at info@bloemhof.cw

Gwen Anderson Open Atelier

Event

Open Atelier Gwen Anderson

Saturday May 6

In 2006 Gwen Anderson re-emerged in her artistic element when living in New York after she joined the Art Students League.  In 2008 she moved to London where she kept her artistic rhythm by joining various courses in a variety of disciplines such as mixed media painting, experimental drawing, fine art photography, live drawing and art history. In 2010 she enrolled at The Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Media and Design at the Metropolitan University in London, where she later attended the Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, and completed her Masters in Fine Arts (Hons), Merit in 2014. During her stay in London she participated in many exhibitions, alternating between London and Curaçao.

When she moved to Tokyo the next year, she immersed herself into travelling, creating art and participating in exhibitions.
In 2018 she moved back to Curaçao where she continued creating art and participated in many group exhibitions to this day.

The paintings exhibited in this show, consist of multiple layers. In some of the works she uses silver leaf as a ‘clean slate’ on which colors, figures or images reflect themselves. The grids of tarnished silver leaf organize a silence onto which forms, or photographic images are placed as output from lifetime impressions. Other works are layers of encaustic, pigment, ink and shellac. The unpredictable nature of the materials and the hypnotic flame of her torch, help her to disappear into a meditative, focused state as she creates.

In the Flow

Exhibition

 

In the Flow
by Gwen Anderson

 

 

Opening Saturday April 8

 

In the Flow, the first solo exhibition in Curaçao by multi-disciplinary artist Gwen Anderson features a selection of mixed media artworks covering different periods of her artistic journey.

Journey through Art
In 2006 Gwen Anderson re-emerged in her artistic element when living in New York after she joined the Art Students League.  In 2008 she moved to London where she kept her artistic rhythm by joining various courses in a variety of disciplines such as mixed media painting, experimental drawing, fine art photography, live drawing and art history. In 2010 she enrolled at The Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Media and Design at the Metropolitan University in London, where she later attended the Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, and completed her Masters in Fine Arts (Hons), Merit in 2014. During her stay in London she participated in many exhibitions, alternating between London and Curaçao.

When she moved to Tokyo the next year, she immersed herself into travelling, creating art and participating in exhibitions.  In 2018 she moved back to Curaçao where she continued creating art and participated in many group exhibitions to this day.

In the Flow
As a multi-disciplinary artist, Gwen’s work is driven by bottomless curiosity. She has a background in science, which explains her constant urge to experiment. She pushes boundaries in her use of materials and techniques, exploring the relationship between order and chaos.

The paintings exhibited in this show, consist of multiple layers. In some of the works she uses silver leaf as a ‘clean slate’ on which colors, figures or images reflect themselves. The grids of tarnished silver leaf organize a silence onto which forms, or photographic images are placed as output from lifetime impressions. Other works are layers of encaustic, pigment, ink and shellac. The unpredictable nature of the materials and the hypnotic flame of her torch, help her to disappear into a meditative, focused state as she creates.

“My intention is to share the feeling of enchantment and tension that I experience in the creative process with my viewers. By layering different elements, forms and images, I aim to evoke a sense of watching things change in nature, and to allow the viewer to change their own thoughts and memories as time passes. My pieces all have a story to tell, but they are your stories, not mine.”

The Experience
On April 29 she will guide a workshop in the ‘pouring’ technique which will take place at Landhuis Bloemhof.
On May 6 you are welcome to visit her studio where you get a glimpse and feel of where she experiments artistically.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until May 13 in Landhuis Bloemhof.