Kenneth Flijders: His fondness for the Mahogany tree and the surprising artistic possibilities it offers him.

Readytex Art Gallery and visual artist Kenneth Flijders are getting ready for the upcoming Thursday-Night-Feature (TNF) of June 1^st. On this evening this seasoned yet humble artist will surprise the public with a special presentation. For a very long time now, and for several reasons, Kenneth Flijders has been fascinated with the Mahogany tree. The important role that this tree plays in his life has a lot to do with his great love for plants and his genuine interest in everything of special historical value to Suriname, but it is especially important because of his career as an artist.

Kenneth Flijders is an artist who, throughout his career, is known to sculpt, to paint, make various types of prints, but who above all likes to experiment with different materials and surfaces. In his work he has used palm fibers, the natural handmade paper from his students at ‘Stichting Matoekoe’, he has painted on old discarded doors and windows that would normally have ended up as garbage, and at one point he discovers that he can paint beautifully with an extract obtained from left over pieces of Mahogany wood. In his workplace, wood from old fallen over or removed Mahogany trees is transformed into unique sculptures such as his famous and quite realistic watermelon and pumpkin pieces, but also into a new experimental pigment, which he successfully paints with on canvas and paper.

On this upcoming TNF Kenneth Flijders will talk about, and demonstrate, how he uses Mahogany tree remnants to make the rich reddish-brown extract that he uses to paint with. He will also talk about his particular affinity for the Mahogany tree and he will exhibit several of the works of art in which he has used the extract. In his own garden Kenneth Flijders plants and grows several of these trees and he will also incorporate a number of small Mahogany trees in his presentation.

Everybody is welcome to join us in Readytex Art Gallery for this special presentation of Kenneth Flijders at the TNF of Thursday June 1^st. Doors are open from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm and the presentation starts at 7:30 pm.