Artists

Our Artists

December 1, 2024

Dhiradj Ramsamoedj

"I believe that every person, no matter how well you think you know them, is in essence a mystery to anyone but themselves." Dhiradj Ramsamoedj graduated from the Nola Hatterman Art Academy in 2004. He also successfully completed his teachers’ education and currently teaches art at a secondary school in Paramaribo, Suriname. As a beginning artist he preferred working with oil on canvas and a palette knife as his tool, but now he also paints in acrylics, which he applies with...

December 1, 2024

Hanka Wolterstorff

"I hope to inspire a change in perception that beautiful modern art does not have to come from abroad, but that in our own country and own abundant resources and talents remarkable things can be created." Hanka Wolterstorff has been creating and exhibiting ceramic art for 25 years now. Her interest in ceramics started as a young girl in the Netherlands, when she spent many hours watching a local potter create beautiful pottery in his workshop. Years later in Suriname,...

December 1, 2024

John Lie-A-Fo

"I incorporate several elements from traditional cultures, but am also fascinated by the unique balance that exists between the natural and the spiritual world." John Lie A Fo was educated at the ‘Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten’ in Antwerp, Belgium and the ‘Vrije Academie’ in The Hague, the Netherlands, and currently lives in French Guiana. Lie A Fo paints on canvas, on paper, creates objects and is also skilled in various art printing techniques. The artist is particularly interested in...

December 1, 2024

Kenneth Flijders

"I like to experiment with several materials, styles and techniques and never limit myself to a predetermined plan during my creative processes." Kenneth Flijders received his education at the ‘Nieuwe School voor Beeldende Kunsten’ in Suriname and at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Jamaica. He works as an artist and until 2015, as an art teacher at the Nola Hatterman Art Academy, Suriname. Flijders is greatly inspired by elements and events from daily life in...

December 1, 2024

Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi

"My work has to communicate locally as well as internationally; even so I want to achieve a yin yang harmony between realism and abstraction in one piece of art." Kit-Ling Tjon Pian Gi studied Visual Art and Art Education in Suriname and the Netherlands (1972 – 1979). She started her career as an art teacher and lecturer, but became a full-time visual artist in 1988, with an emphasis on painting & drawing and has been involved in multidisciplinary art projects...

December 1, 2024

Kurt Nahar

"I want to confront the public with controversial subjects that they are so often inclined to ignore or just close their eyes to." Kurt Nahar received his art education at the Nola Hatterman Art Academy in Suriname and at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and the Performing arts in Jamaica. The artist is currently a teacher at the Nola Hatterman Art Academy himself. Kurt Nahar uses his art to express his thoughts and emotions on various subjects related to...

December 1, 2024

Leonnie van Eert

"Searching for connections between the earthly and the spiritual, I take inspiration from authentic tribal forms and customs, shapes from nature." Leonnie van Eert is a ceramic artist born in the Netherlands. Although she started her work as a ceramicist later in life, Leonnie was always interested and involved in various forms of artistic expression. In 1997 she spent one year in Suriname to work with youngsters with a mental disability. Back in the Netherlands she worked at a center for...

December 1, 2024

Miguel Keerveld

“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. We speak, we write, we do language… That is how civilizations heal.” - Toni Morrison Miguel Keerveld is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus on curating, intuitive coaching, and creative writing. While questioning race and gender with a critical perspective, he frequently pushes the boundaries to confront generalized ideas about the processes of identification and encounters, and engages in research and artistic productions that challenge colonization and representation. He uses theory...

December 1, 2024

Paul Chang

Paul Chang was educated at the ‘Jan van Eyck Academie’ in Maastricht, the Netherlands and at the ‘Academie voor Beeldende Vorming’ in Tilburg, also in the Netherlands. Paul Chang was born and raised in Suriname, but has been living and working in the USA for many years. Although his art is exhibited primarily in the USA and other countries, he always has a beautiful collection on display at Readytex Art Gallery in Suriname. The theme in the art of Paul...

December 1, 2024

Reinier Asmoredjo

My greatest source of inspiration is the cycle of life, birds, flowers, fruit, people, especially women, all have symbolic significance in the theme of my work. Reinier Asmoredjo earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at the ‘Academie voor Hoger Kunst en Cultuur Onderwijs’ (AHKCO) in Suriname. He is recently retired from his career as an art teacher in secondary school in Paramaribo. The artist’s greatest source of inspiration is the cycle of life. Of special significance and strong symbolic meaning...

December 1, 2024

Rene Tosari

"Themes related to nature, the environment, agriculture, but also ancient signs and symbols, appear regularly in my work." René Tosari received his art education at the ‘Nationaal Instituut voor Kunst & Cultuur’ in Suriname, at the ‘Academie Beeldende Kunsten’ in Rotterdam and at the ‘Gerrit Rietveld Academie’ in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Up until 2014, when he permanently settled in Suriname, René Tosari divided his time equally between the two countries of Suriname and the Netherlands, in both of which he...

December 1, 2024

Rinaldo Klas

"It is my opportunity as an artist and ultimately my responsibility as a human being to convey an important social message to the rest of the world." Rinaldo Klas is an artist whose work reflects his deep concern for nature and the environment. Educated first in Suriname at the ‘Nieuwe School voor Beeldende Kunsten’ and subsequently in Jamaica at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Rinaldo has further enriched his practice with exhibitions, knowledge sharing and...

December 1, 2024

Roddney Tjon Poen Gie

"With my art I hope to create awareness within the community that with a little bit of creativity and inventiveness a lot can be achieved." Roddney Tjon Poen Gie graduated from the ‘Academie voor Hoger Kunst en Cultuur Onderwijs’ (AHKCO) in Suriname in 1994 with a major in painting and drawing. He is a self-taught sculptor since 1995. He recently retired from the government department of Culture, where he was the supervisor of the State Art Collection. With his art Roddney...

December 1, 2024

Shaundell Horton

"I incorporate my heritage, collages about my family and the places from where I originated. To be connected in a certain way like a memorable moment." Shaundell Horton graduated from the Nola Hatterman Art Academy in Paramaribo, Suriname in 2011. Born in Guyana, Shaundell moved to Suriname with her family when she was 8 years old. As a child she was already fond of drawing and she was introduced to her first books on art while visiting her grandmother. In...

December 1, 2024

Sri Irodikromo

"I incorporate cultural elements and symbols from Suriname’s diverse cultures and also multiple art techniques such as batik, stenciling and embroidery." Sri Irodikromo, daughter of famous Surinamese artist Soeki Irodikromo, grew up in an environment where painting, ceramics and traditional Javanese batik were daily activities. In 1989 she started her education at the Nola Hatterman Art Academy in Suriname. In 1994 she continued her education in The Hague, the Netherlands at the ‘Vrije Academie’ and specialized in graphical art techniques. In...

December 1, 2024

Steven Towirjo

"My sculptures, which are made in predominantly natural earthy hues, are influenced by motifs from my own Javanese culture and other cultures as well." Steven Towirjo is a self-taught ceramic artist. His first encounter with clay and ceramics was in the studio of his uncle, well known Surinamese visual artist Soeki Irodikromo, where he helped out as a part-time frame-maker. From the moment he got his first piece of clay to experiment with, Towirjo became hooked. Steven Towirjo creates ceramic sculptures...